,,the    ,,atlantic ,,monthly1    ,a    
,,magazine ,,of ,,literature1 ,,art1    
,,and ,,politics4    ,,vol4             
,v4--,,january1 #ahfj4--,,no4 ,,xxvii4  
,,our ,,artists ,,in ,,italy4    ,,hiram
 ,,powers4      ,antique ,art1 beside   
affording a standard by which the modern
 may be  measured1 has the remarkable   
property-giving it a higher value--of   
testing the genuineness of the          
,art-impulse4    ,even to genius1 that  
is1 to the artist1 a true ,art-life is  
difficult  of attainment4 ,in the midst 
of illumination1 there is the mystery3  
the  subjective mystery1 out of which   
issue the germs--like seeds floated     
from unknown shores--of his imaginings2 
the objective mystery1 which  yields to 
him1 through obvious1 yet unexplained   
harmonies1 the means of  manifestation4 
,behind the consciousness is the power2 
behind the power1 that which  gives it  
worth and occupation4    ,to the artist 
definite foresight is denied4 ,his life 
is full of  surprises at new            

necessities4 ,when the present demand   
shall have been  fulfilled1 what shall  
follow8 ,shall it be ,madonna1 or       
,laocon8 ,his  errand is like that of   
the commander who bears sealed          
instructions2 and  he may drift for     
years1 ere he knows wherefore4          
,thorwaldsen waited1  wandering by the  
,tiber a thousand days1--then in one1   
uttered his  immortal ,night4    ,not   
even the severest self-examination will 
enable one in whom the  ,art-impulse    
exists to understand thoroughly its aim 
and uses2 yet to  approximate a clear   
perception of his own nature and that of
 the art to  which he is called is one  
of his first duties4 ,what he is able to
 do1  required to do1 and permitted to  
do1 are questions of vital importance4  
,possession of himself1 of himself in   
the highest1 will alone enable the      
student in ,art to solve the            
difficulties of his position4 ,his      
habitual  consciousness must be made up 
of the noblest of all that has been     

revealed to it2 otherwise those fine    
intuitions1 akin to the ancient         
inspirations1 through whose aid genius  
is informed of its privileges1  are     
impossible4    ,therefore the foremost  
purpose of an artist should be to claim 
and take  possession of self4 ,somewhere
 within is his inheritance1 and he must 
not  be hindered of it4 ,other men have 
other gifts1--gifts bestowed under      
different conditions1 and subject in a  
great degree to choice4 ,talent is  not 
fastidious4 ,it is an instrumentality1  
and its aim is optional with  him who   
possesses it4 ,genius is exquisitely    
fastidious1 and the man whom  it        
possesses must live its life1 or no     
life4    ,in view of these              
considerations1 the efforts of an artist
 to assume his  true position must be   
regarded with earnest interest1 and     
importance  must be attached to that    
which aids him in attaining to his true 
plane4    ,such aid may be1 and is1     
derived from the influences of ,italy4  

,of those  agencies which have a direct 
influence upon the action of the artist1
  which serve to assist him in          
manifesting his idea and fulfilling his 
purpose1 mention will be made in        
connection with the works which have    
been produced in ,italian studios4 ,they
 have less importance than that  great  
element related to the innermost of the 
artist's life1--to that  power of which 
we have spoken1 making ,art-action      
necessary4    ,it is not1 however1      
exclusively antique ,art which exercises
 this power  of elevation4 ,ancient ,art
 may be a better term2 as all great ,art
 bears  a like relation to the student4 
,in ,florence the mediaeval influences  
predominate4 ,rome exercises its power  
through the medium of the  antique4     
,there is much ,christian ,art in ,rome4
 ,yet its effect is insignificant1      
compared with that of the vast          
collection of ,greek sculptures to be   
found within its walls4 ,instinctively1 
as the vague yearnings and  prophecies  

of youth lift him in whom they quicken  
away from youth's  ordinary purposes and
 associations1 his thought turns to that
 far city  where are gathered the       
achievements of those who were indeed   
the gods of  ,hellas4 ,to be there1 and 
to demand from those eloquent lips the  
secret  of the golden age1 is his dream 
and aim1 and there shall be solved the  
problem of his life4    ,but antique    
,art1 waiting so patiently twenty       
centuries to afford aid to  the artist1 
waits also to sit in judgment upon his  
worth and acts4 ,woe  to him who cannot 
pass the ordeal of its power1 and       
explain the enigma  of its speech6      
,nothing can be more pitiful and sad    
than the condition of one who1  having  
been subjected to the influence of      
ancient ,art1 has not had the  ability  
to recognize or the earnestness of      
purpose essential to the  apprehension  
of the truths which it has for his soul 
instead of his  hands4 ,but if1 through 
truthfulness of aim1 and a sense of the 

divine  nature of the errand to which he
 seems appointed1 he reach the law  of  
,art1 then henceforth its pursuit       
becomes the sign of life2 if the        
impulse bear him no farther than rules1 
then all he produces goes forth  as a   
proclamation of death4 ,there is no     
middle path4 ,art is high or low3  high1
 if it be the profoundest life of an    
earnest man1 uttering itself  in the    
real1 even though it be awkwardly1 and  
in violation of all  accepted methods of
 expression2 low1 if it be not such     
utterance1 even  though consummate in   
obedience to the finest rules of all    
,art-science4  ,there can be no other   
way4 ,the life is in the man1 and not in
 the stone2  and no affectation of      
vitality can atone for the absence of   
that soul  which should have been       
breathed into existence from his own    
divine life4    ,as was said1 possession
 of self is the only condition under    
which the  quantity and quality of the  
,art-impulse may be determined4 ,it is  

only  when a man stands face to face    
with himself1 in the stillness of his   
own  inner world1 that his possibilities
 become apparent2 and it is only when   
conscious of these1 and inspired by a   
just sense of their dignity1 that  he   
can achieve that which shall be genuine 
success4 ,once he must be  lifted away  
and isolated from worldly surroundings1 
relieved from all  objective influences1
 from the pressure of all human         
relations2 once the  very memory of all 
these must be blotted out2 once he must 
be alone4  ,this is possible to a       
,mendelssohn in the awful solitude of   
,beethoven's  ,sonate ,pathtique1 to a  
painter in the presence of ,leonardo's  
,last  ,supper1 and to a sculptor in the
 hushed halls of the ,vatican4    ,but  
that which lifts the true artist above  
externals1 the externals of  his own    
individual being1 crushes the false1 to 
whom the marble and the  paint are in   
themselves the ultimate4    ,this train 
of thought has been suggested by the    

fact of the dominion  which classic ,art
 has acquired over sculptors1 and by the
 influence of  the sixteenth and        
seventeenth century schools upon        
painters4 ,it is due1  however1 to our  
sculptors in ,italy that credit should  
be given them  for having resisted the  
influence of forms1 of the mere letter  
of the  classic1 to a greater extent    
than the students of any other nation4  
,whether or not they have been receptive
 of the spirit of the antique  remains  
to be seen4    ,american painters have  
been less fortunate4 ,too often the     
lessons of the  old masters1 and        
especially those of the earliest1 the   
,puritan ,fathers  of ,art1 have been   
unheeded2 or the rules and practices    
which served them  temporarily1 subject 
to the phase of the ideal for the time  
uppermost1  have passed into permanent  
laws1 to be obeyed under all conditions 
of  ,art-utterance4    ,the ,united     
,states have had within the last twenty 
years as many as  thirty sculptors and  

painters resident in ,italy4 ,at the    
beginning of the  present year ten      
sculpture studios in ,rome and ,florence
 were occupied  by ,americans4 ,we will 
speak of these artists in the order in  
which they  entered the profession of an
 art which they have served to develop  
in this first period of its history in  
,america4 ,the eldest bears the  honored
 name of ,hiram ,powers4    ,three      
parties have been remarkably unjust to  
this man1--namely1 his  friends1 his    
enemies1 and himself4    ,neither the   
artist nor his friends need feel        
solicitude for his fame4  ,the exact    
value of his excellence shall be        
estimated1 and the height of  his genius
 fully recognized1 when the right man   
comes4 ,other award than  that from an  
age on a level with his own life can be 
of small worth to  one who has attained 
to the true level of ,art4 ,fame must   
come to him of  that vision which can   
pierce the external of his work and     
penetrate to  the presence of his very  

soul4 ,his action must be traced to its 
finest  ideal motive1--as               
chemist-philosophers pursue the steps of
 analysis  until opaque matter is       
resolved to pure1 ethereal elements4    
,his fame  must be from such vision1 and
 it will approach the universal just in 
proportion as his pulse beats in unison 
with the heart of mankind4  ,whatever   
may be an artist's plans1 or those of   
his friends1 in regard to  his valuation
 by the world1 while he is living1      
ultimately he himself1  divested of all 
save his own individuality1 must stand  
revealed4    ,those who in other        
departments of action are necessarily   
governed  somewhat1 or it may be        
entirely1 by rules of conduct general in
 nature  and universal in application1  
may fail to receive or may escape       
justice4  ,they are to a great degree   
involuntary agents1 and subject to the  
laws  of science1 to the operations of  
which they are obliged to conform4  ,the
 private fact of the man is hidden by   

the public general truth4 ,if1  however1
 the energies of the individual overtop 
the science1 enabling  him to assert    
himself above the summit of its history1
 then is he  accessible to all          
generations1 and can in no wise avoid or
 forfeit his  just fame4    ,in ,art1   
this intimate relation of the result of 
action to the actor is                  
complete1--inasmuch as1 to be ,art1 to  
rise above being something  else1 the   
shadow and mockery of ,art1 it must be  
of and from the man1 a  spontaneity1 a  
reflection1 light for light1 shade for  
shade1 color for  color1 of his entire  
being2 and with this effect his will has
 little to  do4 ,therefore1 unless he be
 an impostor1 he need give himself no   
trouble  regarding his future4 ,his     
works shall serve as a clue1 produced   
century  after century1 along which     
posterity shall feel its way back to his
  studio and heart4 ,no need of thought 
for his morrow4    ,but for his to-day  
he may well be solicitous4 ,if fame be  

his reflection1  he has also the shadow 
of himself1 his reputation4    ,it is a 
great error to assume that these two    
effects are so related that  the        
augmentation of the one must increase   
the other1 and as great a  mistake to   
confound the two4 ,the truth is1 that   
reputation and fame are  rarely         
coincident4 ,they are not unfrequently  
in direct opposition1--so  much so1 that
 some names1 which the world cannot give
 up1 have to  be filtered through a     
thick mass of years1 to purify them of  
their  reputations1 and leave them      
simply famous4    ,no name has suffered 
more than that of ,powers4 ,his friends1
 blind to the  laws which govern these  
matters1 have wrought bravely to        
construct for  him a reputation         
commensurate with his vaguely imagined  
worth2 but upon  his real worth they    
have evinced no desire to lay their     
foundation4 ,no  accurate survey has    
been made of his abilities1 no definite 
plan of  his artist-nature4 ,often a    

place has been demanded for his name in 
the  history of ,art1 and the first     
place too1 because of his fine frank    
eye1  or the simplicity of his          
manners1--because his workmen cut the   
chain of  the ,greek slave out of one   
piece of stone1 or the marble of the    
statue  itself had no spot as big as a  
pin-head1--because he himself chooses to
  rasp and scrape plaster1 rather than  
model in plastic clay1--because he      
tinkered up the infernal regions of the 
,cincinnati ,museum years ago1  or      
spends his time now in making           
perforating-machines and perforated     
files2 in fine1 for any reason rather   
than for the right legitimate  one of   
artistic merit1 they have demanded room 
for their favorite4    ,even those who  
look deeper than this1 appreciating ,mr4
 ,powers as  a gentleman1 an ingenious  
mechanic1 and a skillful manipulator in 
sculpture1 have been content or         
constrained to urge his claims to       
attention upon false considerations4 ,we

 have heard it gravely remarked1  as a  
matter of astonishment1 that there were 
individuals--refined men1               
apparently--who looked upon the ,venus  
de' ,medici as a finer work than  the   
,greek ,slave4 ,in the files of a ,new  
,york paper may be found an  article1   
written by a highly cultivated man1 in  
which ,powers's busts are  asserted to  
be rather the effect of miracles than   
the results of human  effort4 ,the      
spirit which has prompted these and many
 kindred expressions  cannot be too much
 deplored by those who love ,art and    
know the artist4  ,it has succeeded in  
creating for him a reputation broad and 
remarkable1  but most unfortunate1      
because not his own1 because not the    
reputation  which should have formed    
about his name here1 as fame will       
yonder2  unfortunate1 because1 though   
broad1 it is the breadth of an inverted 
pyramid1 which must naturally topple    
over of itself1 and incumber his  path  
with ruins4    ,the false position in   

which ,mr4 ,powers has been placed by   
his friends  has of course won him many 
enemies4    ,bold1 sincere1 working     
enemies are highly useful in developing 
an  artist's character1 especially if he
 be a law-abiding follower of the  art4 
,but enemies must be dealers of fair    
blows1 wagers of honorable  warfare2 no 
assassin is worthy of the name of enemy4
 ,sometimes1 however1  those who are    
worthy of the name1 and entitled to     
respect1 may make  injudicious and      
unfair use of censure and invective4 ,it
 is unwise1 when  the necessity arises  
to set aside a worthless or an imperfect
 image1 to  turn ,iconoclast and        
demolish those surrounding it which are 
worthy of a  place in the temple4 ,true 
criticism1 for its own sake1 if prompted
 by no  higher motive1 deals justly4    
,the friends of ,mr4 ,powers have1 in   
their estimate of his ability1 given    
him credit for that which he does not   
possess1 and claimed recognition  for   
merit unsupported by the value of his   

works4 ,his enemies have  labored       
assiduously1 not only to deprive the    
estimate of its unwarranted  quantity1  
but to overthrow the whole1 and leave   
him merely a mechanic1  a dexterous     
mechanic1 with small views1 but large   
ambition1 trying  to pass himself off as
 an artist4 ,his busts are asserted to  
be  but more elaborate examples of his  
skill in the                            
perforated-file-and-patent-punch line4  
,but as the struggles to elevate this   
artist's reputation above its  proper   
level have proved signal failures1 so   
the effort to depreciate  it must       
ultimately be defeated4 ,only one kind  
of injustice ever proves  irreparable   
wrong3 that which a man exercises       
towards himself4 ,mr4  ,powers had a    
specialty4    ,so constituted that the  
most difficult executive operations are 
to him  but play and pleasure1 he has   
also1 to govern and inform this rare    
organization1 a broad1 manly1 and most  
genial human nature4 ,this  combination 

decided the question of his proper      
mission1 and in virtue of  it he has    
been enabled to model a series of most  
remarkable busts1 the  true excellence  
of which must be recognized in spite of 
friends and  foes1 and the epithets     
miraculous and mechanical4    ,it is    
possible that the highest type of       
portrait-sculpture is beyond the  limit 
of this specialty2 indeed1 it is almost 
impossible that with the  elements      
constituting it there should be         
associated the still rarer  power to    
achieve the most exalted ideal ,art2 and
 such ,art we believe the  highest      
portraiture to be4    ,a consummate     
representation of a man in his divinest 
development1 the  last refined ideal of 
him then1 would be indeed somewhat      
miraculous6    ,the world asks less4 ,it
 claims to know of a man what the face  
of him  became under the influences of  
human1 temporal relations4 ,it wants    
preserved of the statesman the          
statesman's face1 of the merchant the   

merchant's face2 and this demand1 when  
governed by a cultivated taste1  is a   
legitimate one1--as legitimate as is the
 demand for any history4  ,the public   
requires the image of the man whom the  
public knew1 and  they regard as        
valuable that which can be received as a
 definite and  trustworthy statement of 
a great man1 or of one whom it esteemed 
great4  ,it requires this1 has a right  
to such information2 and the generation 
which fails to demand of its artists a  
true record of its prominent men  fails 
utterly in its duty4 ,the bust of a man 
goes down to posterity1 not  only the   
history which it is in itself1 but as an
 interpreter of the  history of its age4
 ,were it not for ,art1 an age would    
recede into the  unknown1 to be recorded
 as dark1 or into the shadowy world of  
myth4  ,portraiture1 more than aught    
else1 serves to elucidate the tradition 
or  story of a people4 ,how impossible  
to explain to the twentieth century  the
 bad mystery of our present1 without the

 aid of ,powers's head of  ,calhoun1 the
 less adequate bust of ,stephen ,a4     
,douglas1 and the one which  should be  
modelled of ,mr4 ,buchanan6 ,a faithful 
delineation of the  features of some men
 is needful4 ,we should be thankful for 
that black  frown of ,nero1 for the bald
 pate of ,scipio1 for those queer eyes  
of  ,marius1 and for the long neck of   
,cicero1 as seen in the newly discovered
  bust4 ,these are the signs of the men1
 and explain them4    ,mr4 ,powers has  
succeeded in reporting more accurately  
than any other  recent artist the       
physical facts of the individual face4  
,from one of his  marbles we derive     
definite ideas of the human character of
 its subject1  what its ambition is1 and
 what its weakness2 what have been its  
loves  and its antipathies1 its         
struggles and its victories1 its joys   
and its  sorrows1 may be revealed to him
 who has learned what the human face    
becomes under the influence of these    
incessant forces4 ,no mere talent  can  

accomplish such results4 ,behind all    
that kind of strength lies  the fact of 
peculiar sympathies1 relating the artist
 to this phase of  ,art-representation2 
and within certain limits1 which should 
have been  undebatable1 his rule was    
absolute4    ,the great mistake with    
,mr4 ,powers has been his oversight     
regarding these  limits4 ,there has been
 debate1 hesitation1 and a continual    
wandering  away from the duties of his  
errand4 ,years have been devoted to     
those  ghosts of sculpture1 allegorical 
figures2 other years wasted in the      
elaboration of machinery4 ,not that his 
ideal statues are worthless1 or  fall   
short of great beauty and exquisite     
delicacy2 not that his skill  as a      
mechanician is other than great4 ,but   
the age cannot afford these  things1 nor
 can the sculptor afford them4 ,a year  
is too great a sum to  give for a statue
 of ,california4 ,better than that1 the 
several portraits  of valued men which  
might have been acquired1--one bust1    

even1 like  those which surprised and   
compelled the reverence of ,thorwaldsen4
 ,better  the perfected ability which   
would have given his country the        
,webster he  should and might have made 
than a hundred ,americas4    ,there are 
two considerations which may have misled
 ,mr4 ,powers4 ,one1 a  pecuniary one1  
which he should have disposed of as did 
,agassiz1 when  such was advanced to    
induce him to give lyceum               
lectures3--,sir1 ,i  cannot afford to   
make money6 ,the other may have been the
 weight of the  prevailing error that   
portrait-sculpture is a less honorable  
branch of  ,art4    ,less than what8    
,the historical8 ,what finer history    
than ,titian's ,paul  ,,iii41 ,raphael's
 ,leo ,x41 ,albert ,drer's head of      
himself8 ,what finer than  the          
,pericles1 the ,marcus ,aurelius of the 
,capitol1 the ,demosthenes of the       
,vatican1 ,chantrey's ,scott1 ,houdon's 
,voltaire1 ,powers's ,jackson8--,heroic8
  what more heroic than the ,lateran    

,sophocles1 the ,venetian ,colleoni1 or 
,rauch's statue of ,frederick the       
,great8--,poetical8 ,what picture more  
sweetly poetical than ,raphael's head of
 himself in the ,uffizi1 or  ,giotto's  
,dante in the ,bargello8 ,what ideal    
statue surpasses in  poetical power     
,michel ,angelo's ,de' ,medici in the   
,san ,lorenzo ,chapel8  ,what ideal head
 is more beautiful than the ,townley    
,clytie of the ,british  ,museum1 or the
 ,young ,augustus of the ,vatican8 ,what
 grander than ,da  ,vinci's portrait of 
himself8    ,no1--when the sculptor has 
wrought the adequate representation of  
the  individual in its best estate1 he  
may rest assured that he has achieved   
high ,art4    ,let us not be unjust to  
,mr4 ,powers's ideal works4 ,in the     
qualities of  chasteness of conception1 
delicacy of treatment1 temperate grace1 
and  that rarer1 finer quality of       
dignified repose1 they have not been    
surpassed since the time of ,greek ,art4
 ,when the subject chosen has not  been 

foreign to the artist's nature1 as in   
the ,eve1 nor foreign to the  ,art's    
province1 as in the ,california1 his    
success has been very like a  triumph4  
,but the success has not been that which
 he was entitled to grasp2 the  seeming 
triumph has precluded a real victory4   
,we must believe that  the highest      
lessons of ancient ,art have1 in a great
 measure1 been  unrecognized by ,mr4    
,powers4 ,the external has been studied4
 ,no man can  talk more justly of that  
exquisite line of the ,venus de'        
,medici's temple  and cheek1 or point   
out more discriminatingly the beauties  
of the ,milo  statue1 or detect more    
quickly the truths of the antique busts4
 ,he has  discovered1 also1 somewhat of 
the great secret of repose1--has        
perceived  that it is essential1 in some
 wise1 to all greatness in ,art1 more   
particularly in his own department of   
sculpture4 ,but beyond that simple      
recognition of the fact1 what8 ,that    
repose is dependent on power to act1    

and must be great in proportion to      
mightiness of power8 ,no1 he could not  
have seen this2 else had his ,webster   
come to us less questionable in  intent1
 less remote in its merits from the     
massive self-possession of  the man4    
,for what ,mr4 ,powers became before he 
left ,america he cannot be praised  too 
greatly4 ,he carried with him to ,europe
 just that knowledge of ,nature  and    
that executive power which prepared him 
to take advantage of the aid  that all  
great ,art was waiting to afford4 ,had  
he won the large truth1  he would have  
found the scope and purpose of his      
genius1 as in ,america  he had found    
that of his talent4 ,he would have seen 
his specialty to be  worthy of all      
reverence1 for he would have attained to
 an appreciation  of the high           
possibilities of portrait-,art4 ,there  
would have been  developed1 under the   
influence of great principles1 the power
 to make  statues of great              
men1--colossal1 instead of              

big1--reposeful1 instead  of            
paralyzed1--grand1 instead of           
arrogant1--statues worthy of the hand   
that wrought the busts of ,calhoun1     
,jackson1 and ,webster1 worthy to rank  
with the few mighty embodiments of      
power1 the ,sophocles1 the ,aristides1  
and the ,demosthenes4 ,this he might    
have done2 and this he may yet          
accomplish4          ,,the ,,amber      
,,gods4      ,,story ,,first4    ,flower
 o' the ,peach4      ,we've some        
splendid old point-lace in our family1  
yellow and fragrant1  loose-meshed4 ,it 
isn't every one has point at all2 and of
 those who  have1 it isn't every one can
 afford to wear it4 ,i can4 ,why8 ,oh1  
because  it's in character4 ,besides1 ,i
 admire point any way1--it's so         
becoming2  and then1 you see1 this      
amber6 ,now what is in finer unison1    
this old  point-lace1 all tags and      
tangle and fibrous and bewildering1 and 
this  amber1 to which ,heaven knows how 
many centuries1 maybe1 with all their   

changes1 brought perpetual particles of 
increase8 ,i like yellow things1  you   
see4    ,to begin at the beginning4 ,my 
name1 you're aware1 is ,giorgione       
,willoughby4 ,queer name for a girl6    
,yes2 but before papa sowed his wild    
oats1 he was one afternoon in ,fiesole1 
looking over ,florence nestled  below1  
when some whim took him to go into a    
church there1 a quiet place1  full of   
twilight and one great picture1 nobody  
within but a girl and  her little       
slave1--the one watching her mistress1  
the other saying  dreadfully devout     
prayers on an amber rosary1 and of      
course she didn't  see him1 or didn't   
appear to4 ,after he got there1 he      
wondered what  on earth he came for1 it 
was so dark and poky1 and he began to   
feel  uncomfortably1--when all of a     
sudden a great ray of sunset dashed     
through the window1 and drowned the     
place in the splendor of the  illumined 
painting4 ,papa adores rich colors2 and 
he might have been  satiated here1      

except that such things make you want   
more4 ,it was a  ,venus2--no1 though1 it
 couldn't have been a ,venus in a       
church1 could it8  ,well1 then1 a       
,magdalen1 ,i guess1 or a ,madonna1 or  
something4 ,i fancy the  man painted for
 himself1 and christened for others4    
,so1 when ,i was born1  some years      
afterward1 papa1 gratefully remembering 
this dazzling little  vignette of his   
youth1 was absurd enough to christen me 
,giorgione4  ,that's how ,i came by my  
identity2 but the folks all call me     
,yone1--a  baby name4    ,i'm a blonde1 
you know1--none of your silver-washed   
things4 ,i wouldn't  give a fico for a  
girl with flaxen hair2 she might as well
 be a wax  doll1 and have her eyes moved
 by a wire2 besides1 they've no souls4  
,i imagine they were remnants at our    
creation1 and somehow scrambled         
together1 and managed to get up a little
 life among themselves2 but it's  good  
for nothing1 and everybody sees through 
the pretence4 ,they're glass  chips1 and

 brittle shavings1 slender pinkish      
scrids1--no name for them2  but just you
 say blonde1 soft and slow and          
rolling1--it brings up  a brilliant1    
golden vitality1 all manner of white and
 torrid  magnificences1 and you see me6 
,i've watched little bugs--gold         
rose-chafers--lie steeping in the sun1  
till every atom of them must have  been 
searched with the warm radiance1 and    
have felt1 that1 when they  reached that
 point1 ,i was just like them1 golden   
all through1--not dyed1  but created4   
,sunbeams like to follow me1 ,i think4  
,now1 when ,i stand in  one before this 
glass1 infiltrated with the rich tinge1 
don't ,i look  like the spirit of it    
just stepped out for inspection8 ,i seem
 to myself  like the complete           
incarnation of light1 full1 bounteous1  
overflowing1  and ,i wonder at and adore
 anything so beautiful2 and the         
reflection  grows finer and deeper while
 ,i gaze1 till ,i dare not do so any    
longer4  ,so1 without more words1 ,i'm a

 golden blonde4 ,you see me now3 not too
  tall1--five feet four2 not slight1 or 
,i couldn't have such perfect           
roundings1 such flexible moulding4      
,here's nothing of the spiny ,diana and 
,pallas1 but ,clytie or ,isis speaks in 
such delicious curves4 ,it don't  look  
like flesh and blood1 does it8 ,can you 
possibly imagine it will  ever change8  
,oh6    ,now see the face1--not small1  
either2 lips with no particular outline1
  but melting1 and seeming as if they   
would stain yours1 should you touch     
them4 ,no matter about the rest1 except 
the eyes4 ,do you meet such eyes  often8
 ,you wouldn't open yours so1 if you    
did4 ,note their color now1  before the 
ray goes4 ,yellow hazel8 ,not a bit of  
it6 ,some folks say  topaz1 but they're 
fools4 ,nor sherry4 ,there's a dark     
sardine base1 but  over it real seas of 
light1 clear light2 there isn't any     
positive color2  and once when ,i was   
angry1 ,i caught a glimpse of them in a 
mirror1 and  they were quite white1     

perfectly colorless1 only luminous4 ,i  
looked like  a fiend1 and1 you may be   
sure1 recovered my temper               
directly1--easiest  thing in the world1 
when you've motive enough4 ,you see the 
pupil is  small1 and that gives more    
expansion and force to the irides2 but  
sometimes in an evening1 when ,i'm too  
gay1 and a true damask settles in  the  
cheek1 the pupil grows larger and crowds
 out the light1 and under  these thick1 
brown lashes1 these yellow-hazel eyes of
 yours1 they are  dusky and purple and  
deep with flashes1 like pansies lit by  
fire-flies1  and then common folks call 
them black4 ,be sure1 ,i've never got   
such eyes  for nothing1 any more than   
this hair4 ,that is ,lucrezia ,borgian1 
spun  gold1 and ought to take the world 
in its toils4 ,i always wear these      
thick1 riotous curls round my temples   
and face2 but the great braids          
behind--oh1 ,i'll uncoil them before my 
toilet is over4    ,probably you felt   
all this before1 but didn't know the    

secret of it4  ,now1 the traits being   
brought out1 you perceive nothing       
wanting2 the  thing is perfect1 and     
you've a reason for it4 ,of course1 with
 such an  organization1 ,i'm not        
nervous4 ,nervous6 ,i should as soon    
fancy a dish of  cream nervous4 ,i am   
too rich for anything of the kind1      
permeated utterly  with a rare golden   
calm4 ,girls always suggest little      
similitudes to me3  there's that        
brunette beauty1--don't you taste mulled
 wine when you see  her8 and thinking of
 yourself1 did you ever feel green tea8 
and find me  in a crust of wild honey1  
the expressed essence of woods and      
flowers1  with its sweet satiety8--no1  
that's too cloying4 ,i'm a deal more    
like  ,mendelssohn's music1--what ,i    
know of it1 for ,i can't distinguish    
tunes1--you wouldn't suspect it1--but   
full harmonics delight me as they  do a 
wild beast2 and so ,i'm like a certain  
adagio in ,b flat1 that ,papa  likes4   
,there now6 you're perfectly shocked to 

hear me go on so about myself2  but you 
oughtn't to be4 ,it isn't lawful for any
 one else1 because praise  is intrusion2
 but if the rose please to open her     
heart to the moth1 what  then8 ,you     
know1 too1 ,i didn't make myself2 it's  
no virtue to be so fair4  ,louise       
couldn't speak so of herself3 first     
place1 because it wouldn't  be true2    
next place1 she couldn't1 if it were2   
and lastly1 she made her  beauty by     
growing a soul in her eyes1 ,i          
suppose1--what you call good4  ,i'm not 
good1 of course2 ,i wouldn't give a fig 
to be good4 ,so  it's not vanity4 ,it's 
on a far grander scale2 a splendid      
selfishness1--authorized1 too2 and papa 
and mamma brought me up to  worship     
beauty1--and there's the fifth          
commandment1 you know4    ,dear me6 you 
think ,i'm never coming to the point4   
,well1 here's this  rosary2--hand me the
 perfume-case first1 please4 ,don't you 
love heavy  fragrances1 faint with      
sweetness1 ravishing juices of odor1    

heliotropes1  violets1                  
water-lilies1--powerful attars and      
extracts1 that snatch your  soul off    
your lips8 ,couldn't you live on rich   
scents1 if they tried to  starve you8 ,i
 could1 or die on them3 ,i don't know   
which would be best4  ,there6 there's   
the amber rosary6 ,you needn't speak2   
look at it6    ,bah6 is that all you've 
got to say8 ,why1 observe the thing2    
turn it  over2 hold it up to the window2
 count the beads1--long1 oval1 like some
  seaweed bulbs1 each an amulet4 ,see   
the tint2 it's very old2 like clots  of 
sunshine1--aren't they8 ,now bring it   
near2 see the carving1 here  corrugated1
 there faceted1 now sculptured into     
hideous1 tiny1 heathen  gods4 ,you      
didn't notice that before6 ,how         
difficult it must have been1  when amber
 is so friable6 ,here's one with a      
chessboard on his back1 and  all his    
kings and queens and pawns slung round  
him4 ,here's another  with a torch1 a   
flaming torch1 its fire pouring out     

inverted4 ,they are  grotesque          
enough2--but this1 this is matchless3   
such a miniature woman1  one hand       
grasping the round rock behind1 while   
she looks down into some  gulf1 perhaps1
 beneath1 and will let herself fall4    
,oh1 you should see  her with a         
magnifying-glass6 ,you want to think of 
calm1 satisfying  death1 a mere         
exhalation1 a voluntary slipping into   
another element8  ,there it is for you4 
,they are all gods and goddesses4 ,they 
are all here  but one2 ,i've lost one1  
the knot of all1 the love of the thing4 
,well6  wasn't it queer for a ,catholic 
girl to have at prayer8 ,don't you      
wonder  where she got it8 ,ah6 but don't
 you wonder where ,i got it8 ,i'll tell 
you4    ,papa came in1 one day1 and with
 great mystery commenced unrolling1  and
 unrolling1 and throwing tissue papers  
on the floor1 and scraps of  colored    
wool2 and ,lu and ,i ran to him1--,lu   
stooping on her knees to look  up1 ,i   
bending over his hands to look down4 ,it

 was so mysterious6 ,i began  to suspect
 it was diamonds for me1 but knew ,i    
never could wear them1 and  was         
dreadfully afraid that ,i was going to  
be tempted1 when slowly1 bead  by bead1 
came out this amber necklace4 ,lu fairly
 screamed2 as for me1 ,i  just drew     
breath after breath1 without a word4 ,of
 course they were for  me2--,i reached  
my hands for them4    ,oh1 wait6 said   
papa4 ,yone or ,lu8    ,now how absurd1 
papa6 ,i exclaimed4 ,such things for    
,lu6    ,why not8 asked ,lu1--rather    
faintly now1 for she knew ,i always     
carried  my point4    ,the idea of you  
in amber1 ,lu6 ,it's too foreign2 no    
sympathy between  you6    ,stop1 stop6  
said papa4 ,you shan't crowd little ,lu 
out of them4 ,what  do you want them    
for1 ,lu8    ,to wear1 quavered         
,lu1--like the balls the ,roman ladies  
carried for  coolness4    ,well1 then1  
you ought to have them4 ,what do you    
want them for1 ,yone8    ,oh1 if ,lu's  
going to have them1 ,i don't want them4 

,but give a reason1 child4    ,why1 to  
wear1 too1--to look at1--to have and to 
hold for better1 for  worse1--to say my 
prayers on1 for a bright idea struck me1
 to say  my prayers on1 like the        
,florence rosary4 ,i knew that would    
finish the  thing4    ,like the         
,florence rosary8 said papa1 in a sleepy
 voice4 ,why1 this  is the ,florence    
rosary4    ,of course1 when we knew     
that1 we were both more crazy to obtain 
it4    ,oh1 ,sir1 just fluttered ,lu1   
where did you get it8    ,i got it2 the 
question is1 ,who's to have it8    ,i   
must and will1 potential and imperative1
 ,i exclaimed1 quite on fire4  ,the     
nonsense of the thing6 ,girls with lucid
 eyes1 like shadowy shallows  in quick  
brooks1 can wear crystallizations4 ,as  
for me1 ,i can wear  only concretions   
and growths2 emeralds and all their     
cousins would  be shockingly            
inharmonious on me2 but you know1 ,lu1  
how ,i use ,indian  spices1 and scarlet 
and white berries and flowers1 and      

little hearts and  notions of beautiful 
copal that ,rose carved for you1--and ,i
 can wear  sandal-wood and ebony and    
pearls1 and now this amber4 ,but you1   
,lu1  you can wear every kind of        
precious stone1 and you may have ,aunt  
,willoughby's rubies that she promised  
me2 they are all in tone with you2  but 
,i must have this4    ,i don't think    
you're right1 said ,louise1 rather      
soberly4 ,you strip  yourself of great  
advantages4 ,but about the rubies1 ,i   
don't want  anything so flaming1 so you 
may keep them2 and ,i don't care at all 
about  this4 ,i think1 ,sir1 on the     
whole1 they belong to ,yone for her     
name4    ,so they do1 said papa4 ,but   
not to be bought off6 ,that's my little 
,lu6    ,and somehow ,lu1 who had been  
holding the rosary1 was sitting on      
papa's  knee1 as he half knelt on the   
floor1 and the rosary was in my hand4   
,and  then he produced a little kid box1
 and there lay inside a star with a     
thread of gold for the forehead1        

circlets for wrist and throat1 two      
drops1 and a ring4 ,oh1 such beauties6  
,you've never seen them4    ,the other  
one shall have these4 ,aren't you sorry1
 ,yone8 he said4    ,oh1 no1 indeed6    
,i'd much rather have mine1 though these
 are splendid4  ,what are they8         
,aqua-marina1 sighed ,lu1 in an agony of
 admiration4    ,dear1 dear6 how did you
 know8    ,lu blushed1 ,i saw1--but ,i  
was too much absorbed with the jewels to
  remark it4    ,oh1 they are just like 
that ring on your hand6 ,you don't want 
two rings  alike1 ,i said4 ,where did   
you get that ring1 ,lu8    ,but ,lu had 
no senses for anything beyond the       
casket4    ,if you know aqua-marina1 you
 know something that's before every     
other  stone in the world4 ,why1 it is  
as clear as light1 white1 limpid1 dawn  
light2 sparkles slightly and seldom2    
looks like pure drops of water1         
sea-water1 scooped up and falling down  
again2 just a thought of its  parent    
beryl green hovers round the edges2 and 

it grows more lucent and  sweet to the  
centre1 and there you lose yourself in  
some dream of vast  seas1 a glory of    
unimagined oceans2 and you say that it  
was crystallized  to any slow flute-like
 tune1 each speck of it floating into   
file with  a musical grace1 and carrying
 its sound with it4 ,there6 it's very   
fanciful1 but ,i'm always feeling the   
tune in aqua-marina1 and trying to  find
 it1--but ,i shouldn't know it was a    
tune1 if ,i did1 ,i suppose4 ,how       
magnificent it would be1 if every atom  
of creation sprang up and said  its one 
word of abracadabra1 the secret of its  
existence1 and fell  silent again4 ,oh1 
dear6 you'd die1 you know2 but what a   
pow-wow6 ,then1  too1 in aqua-marina    
proper1 the setting is kept out of      
sight1 and you  have the unalloyed stone
 with its sea-rims and its clearness and
 steady  sweetness4 ,it wasn't the stone
 for ,louise to wear2 it belongs rather 
to highly-nervous1 excitable persons2   
and ,lu is as calm as ,i1 only so       

different6 ,there is something more pure
 and simple about it than about         
anything else2 others may flash and     
twinkle1 but this just glows with an    
unvarying power1 is planetary and       
strong4 ,it wears the moods of the sea1 
too3 once in a while a warm amethystine 
mist suffuses it like a blush2          
sometimes a white morning fog breathes  
over it3 you long to get into the  heart
 of it4 ,that's the charm of gems1 after
 all6 ,you feel that they are  fashioned
 through dissimilar processes from      
yourself1--that there's a  mystery about
 them1 mastering which would be like    
mastering a new life1  like having the  
freedom of other stars4 ,i give them    
more personality  than ,i would a great 
white spirit4 ,i like amber that way1   
because ,i know  how it was made1       
drinking the primeval weather1          
resinously beading each  grain of its   
rare wood1 and dripping with a plash to 
filter through and  around the fallen   
cones below4 ,in some former state ,i   

must have been a  fly embalmed in amber4
    ,oh1 ,lu6 ,i said1 this amber's just
 the thing for me1 such a great  noon   
creature6 ,and as for you1 you shall    
wear mamma's ,mechlin and that          
aqua-marina2 and you'll look like a     
mer-queen just issuing from the         
wine-dark deeps and glittering with     
shining water-spheres4    ,i never let  
,lu wear the point at all2 she'd be     
ridiculous in it1--so  flimsy and open  
and unreserved2 that's for              
me2--,mechlin1 with its  whiter1 closer1
 chaste web1 suits her to a ,t4    ,i   
must tell you1 first1 how this rosary   
came about1 any way4 ,you know  we've a 
million of ancestors1 and one of them1  
my great-grandfather1 was  a            
sea-captain1 and actually did bring home
 cargoes of slaves2 but once  he fetched
 to his wife a little islander1 an      
,asian imp1 six years old1  and wilder  
than the wind4 ,she spoke no word of    
,english1 and was full  of short shouts 
and screeches1 like a thing of the      

woods4 ,my  great-grandmother couldn't  
do a bit with her2 she turned the house 
topsy-turvy1 cut the noses out of the   
old portraits1 and chewed the  jewels   
out of the settings1 killed the little  
home animals1 spoiled the  dinners1     
pranced in the garden with ,madam       
,willoughby's farthingale and  royal    
stiff brocades rustling yards           
behind1--this atom of a shrimp1--or     
balanced herself with her heels in the  
air over the curb of the well1  scraped 
up the dead leaves under one corner of  
the house and fired  them1--a favorite  
occupation1--and if you left her        
stirring a mess in  the kitchen1 you met
 her1 perhaps1 perched in the           
china-closet and  mumbling all manner of
 demoniacal prayers1 twisting and       
writhing and  screaming over a string of
 amber gods that she had brought with   
her  and always wore4 ,when winter came 
and the first snow1 she was furious1    
perfectly mad4 ,one might as well have  
had a ball of fire in the house1  or    

chain-lightning2 every nice old custom  
had been invaded1 the ancient  quiet    
broken into a ,bedlam of outlandish     
sounds1 and as ,captain  ,willoughby was
 returning1 his wife packed the sprite  
off with him1--to  cut1 rip1 and tear in
 ,new ,holland1 if she liked1 but not in
 ,new  ,england1--and rejoiced herself  
that she would find that little brown   
skin cuddled up in her best down beds   
and among her lavendered sheets no      
more4 ,she had learned but two words all
 that time1--,willoughby1 and the  name 
of the town4    ,you may conjecture what
 heavenly peace came in when the ,asian 
went out1  but there is no one to tell  
what havoc was wrought on board ship2 in
  fact1 if there could have been such a 
thing as a witch1 ,i should believe     
that imp sunk them1 for a stray         
,levantine brig picked her--still agile 
as a monkey--from a wreck off the ,cape 
de ,verdes and carried her into         
,leghorn1 where she took--will you mind1
 if ,i say8--leg-bail1 and  escaped from

 durance4 ,what happened on her         
wanderings ,i'm sure is of  no          
consequence1 till one night she turned  
up outside a ,fiesolan villa1  scorched 
with malaria fevers and shaken to pieces
 with tertian and  quartan and all the  
rest of the agues4 ,so1 after having    
shaken almost to  death1 she decided    
upon getting well2 all the effervescence
 was gone2  she chose to remain with her
 beads in that family1 a mysterious tame
  servant1 faithful1 jealous1           
indefatigable4 ,but she never grew2 at  
ninety  she was of the height of a      
yard-stick1--and nothing could have been
  finer than to have a dwarf in those   
old palaces1 you know4    ,in my        
great-grandmother's home1 however1 the  
tradition of the ,asian  sprite with her
 string of amber gods was handed down   
like a legend1 and1  no one knowing what
 had been1 they framed many a wild      
picture of the  ,thing enchanting all   
her spirits from their beads about her1 
and calling  and singing and whistling  

up the winds with them till storm rolled
 round  the ship1 and fierce fog and    
foam and drowning fell upon her         
capturers4  ,but they all believed1     
that1 snatched from the wreck into      
islands of  ,eastern archipelagoes1 the 
vindictive child and her quieted gods   
might  yet be found4 ,of course my      
father knew this1 and when that night in
 the  church he saw the girl saying such
 devout prayers on an amber rosary1     
with a demure black slave so tiny and so
 old behind her1 it flashed  back on    
him1 and he would have spoken1 if1 just 
then1 the ray had not  revealed the     
great painting1 so that he forgot all   
about it1 and when at  last he turned1  
they were gone4 ,but my father had come 
back to ,america1  had sat down quietly 
in his elder brother's house1 among the 
hills where  ,i am to live1 and was     
thought to be a sedate young man and a  
good match1  till a freak took him that 
he must go back and find that girl in   
,italy4  ,how to do it1 with no clue but

 an amber rosary8 ,but do it he did1    
stationing himself against a pillar in  
that identical church and  watching the 
worshippers1 and not having long to wait
 before in she  came1 with little ,asian
 behind4 ,papa isn't in the least       
romantic2 he is  one of those great     
fertilizing temperaments1 golden hair   
and beard1 and  hazel eyes1 if you will4
 ,he's a splendid old fellow6 ,it's     
absurd to  delight in one's father1--so 
bread-and-buttery1--but ,i can't help   
it4  ,he's far stronger than ,i2 none of
 the little weak ,italian traits that   
streak me1 like water in thick1 syrupy  
wine4 ,no1--he isn't in the least       
romantic1 but he says he was fated to   
this step1 and could no more have       
resisted than his heart could have      
refused to beat4 ,when he spoke to the  
devotee1 little ,asian made sundry      
belligerent demonstrations2 but he      
confronted her with the two words she   
had learned here1 ,willoughby and  the  
town's name4 ,the dwarf became livid1   

seemed always after haunted by  a       
dreadful fear of him1 pursued him with a
 rancorous hate1 but could not  hinder  
his marriage4 ,the ,willoughbys are a   
cruel race4 ,her only revenge  was to   
take away the amber beads1 which had    
long before been blessed  by the ,pope  
for her young mistress1 refusing herself
 to accompany my  mother1 and declaring 
that neither should her charms ever     
cross the  water1--that all their       
blessing would be changed to banning1   
and that  bane would burn the bearer1   
should the salt-sea spray again dash    
round  them4 ,but when1 in process of   
,nature1 the ,asian died1--having become
  classic through her longevity1 taking 
length of days for length of            
stature1--then the rosary belonged to   
mamma's sister1 who by-and-by sent  it1 
with a parcel of other things1 to papa  
for me4 ,so ,i should have had  it at   
all events1 you see2--papa is such a    
tease ,i ,the other things were  mamma's
 wedding-veil1 that point there1 which  

once was her mother's1 and  some pearls4
    ,i was born upon the sea1 in a calm1
 far out of sight of land1 under        
sweltering suns2 so1 you know1 ,i'm a   
cosmopolite1 and have a right to  all my
 fantasies4 ,not that they are fantasies
 at all2 on the contrary1  they are     
parts of my nature1 and ,i couldn't be  
what ,i am without them1  or have one   
and not have all4 ,some girls go picking
 and scraping odds  and ends of ideas   
together1 and by the time they are      
thirty get quite a  bundle of whims and 
crotchets on their backs2 but they are  
all at sixes  and sevens1 uneven and    
knotty like fagots1 and won't lie       
compactly1  don't belong to them1 and   
anybody might surprise them out of them4
 ,but  for me1 you see1 mine are        
harmonious1 in my veins2 ,i was born    
with them4  ,not that ,i was always what
 ,i am now4 ,oh1 bless your heart6 plums
 and  nectarines1 and luscious things   
that ripen and develop all their  rare  
juices1 were green once1 and so was ,i4 

,awkward1 tumble-about1  near-sighted1  
till ,i was twenty1 a real              
raw-head-and-bloody-bones to all        
society2 then mamma1 who was never well 
in our diving-bell atmosphere1  was     
ordered to the ,west ,indies1 and papa  
said it was what ,i needed1 and  ,i     
went1 too1--and oh1 how sea-sick6 ,were 
you ever8 ,you forget all about  who you
 are1 and have a vague notion of being  
,universal ,disease4 ,i have  heard of a
 kind of myopy that is biliousness1 and 
when ,i reached the  islands my sight   
was as clear as my skin2 all that       
tropical luxuriance  snatched me to     
itself at once1 recognized me for kith  
and kin2 and mamma  died1 and ,i lived4 
,we had accidents between wind and      
water1 enough to  have made me          
considerate for others1 ,lu said2 but ,i
 don't see that ,i'm  any less careful  
not to have my bones spilt in the flood 
than ever  ,i was4 ,slang8 ,no1--poetry4
 ,but if your nature had such a wild1   
free  tendency as mine1 and then were   

boxed up with proprieties and civilities
  from year's end to year's end1 may-be 
you1 too1 would escape now and  then in 
a bit of slang4    ,we always had a     
little boy to play with1 ,lu and ,i1 or 
rather  ,lu1--because1 though he never  
took any dislike to me1 he was absurdly 
indifferent1 while he followed ,lu about
 with a painful devotion4 ,i  didn't    
care1 didn't know2 and as ,i grew up and
 grew awkwarder1 ,i was the  plague of  
their little lives4 ,if ,lu had been my 
sister instead of my  orphan cousin1 as 
mamma was perpetually holding up to me1 
,i should have  bothered them twenty    
times more2 but when ,i got larger and  
began to be  really distasteful to his  
fine artistic perception1 mamma had the 
sense  to keep me out of his way2 and he
 was busy at his lessons1 and didn't    
come so much4 ,but ,lu just fitted him  
then1 from the time he daubed  little   
adoring blotches of her face on every   
barn-door and paling1 till  when his    
scrap-book was full of her in all       

fancies and conceits1 and he  was old   
enough to go away and study ,art4 ,then 
he came home occasionally1  and always  
saw us2 but ,i generally contrived1 on  
such occasions1 to do  some frightful   
thing that shocked every nerve he had1  
and he avoided me  instinctively as he  
would an electric torpedo2 but--do you  
believe8--,i  never had an idea of such 
a thing1 till1 when sailing from the    
,south1  so changed1 ,i remembered      
things1 and felt intuitively how it must
 have  been4 ,shortly after ,i went     
away1 he visited ,europe4 ,i had been at
 home a  year1 and now we heard he had  
returned2 so for two years he hadn't    
seen  me4 ,he had written a great deal  
to ,lu1--brotherly letters they         
were1--he  is so peculiar1--determining 
not to give her the least intimation of 
what he felt1 if he did feel anything1  
till he was able to say all4 ,and  now  
he had earned for himself a certain     
fame1 a promise of greater2 his  works  
sold2 and if he pleased1 he could marry4

 ,i merely presume this  might have been
 his thought2 he never told me4 ,a      
certain fame6 ,but  that's nothing to   
what he will have4 ,how can he paint    
gray1 faint1  half-alive things now8 ,he
 must abound in color1--be rich1        
exhaustless3  wild                      
sea-sketches1--sunrise1--sunset1--mounta
in mists rolling in turbid  crimson     
masses1 breaking in a milky spray of    
vapor round lofty peaks1  and letting   
out lonely glimpses of a melancholy     
moon1--,south ,american                 
splendors1--pomps of fruit and          
blossom1--all this affluence of his     
future life must flash from his pencils 
now4 ,not that he will paint  again     
directly4 ,do you suppose it possible   
that ,i should be given  him merely for 
a phase of wealth and light and color1  
and then  taken1--taken1 in some        
dreadful way1 to teach him the necessary
 and  inevitable result of such         
extravagant luxuriance8 ,it makes me    
shiver4    ,it was that very noon when  

papa brought in the amber1 that he came 
for  the first time since his return    
from ,europe4 ,he hadn't met ,lu before4
 ,i  ran1 because ,i was in my morning  
wrapper4 ,don't you see it there1 that  
cream-colored1 undyed silk1 with the    
dear palms and ferns swimming all  over 
it8 ,and all my hair was just flung into
 a little black net that  ,lu had made  
me2 we both had run down as we were when
 we heard papa4 ,i  scampered2 but he   
saw only ,lu2 and grasped her hands4    
,then1 of course1 ,i  stopped on the    
baluster to look4 ,they didn't say      
anything1 only seemed  to be reading up 
for the two years in each other's eyes2 
but ,lu dropped  her kid box1 and as he 
stooped to pick it up1 he held it1 and  
then took  out the ring1 looked at her  
and smiled1 and put it on his own       
finger4  ,the one she had always worn   
was no more a mystery4 ,he has such     
little  hands6 they don't seem made for 
anything but slender crayons and        
watercolors1 as if oils would weigh them

 down with the pigment2 but  there is a 
nervy strength about them that could    
almost bend an ash4    ,papa's breezy   
voice blew through the room next minute1
 welcoming him2  and then he told ,lu to
 put up her jewels1 and order luncheon1 
at which1  of course1 the other wanted  
to see the jewels nearer2 and ,i        
couldn't  stand that1 but slipped down  
and walked right in1 lifting my amber1  
and  saying1 ,oh1 but this is what you  
must look at6    ,he turned1 somewhat   
slowly1 with such a lovely indifference1
 and let his  eyes idly drop on me4 ,he 
didn't look at the amber at all2 he     
didn't look  at me2 ,i seemed to fill   
his gaze without any action from him1   
for  he stood quiet and passive2 my     
voice1 too1 seemed to wrap him in a     
dream1--only an instant2 though then ,i 
had reached him4    ,you've not         
forgotten ,yone1 said papa1 who went    
persimmon and came  apricot8    ,i've   
not forgotten ,yone1 answered he1 as if 
half asleep4 ,but who is  this8    ,who 

is this8 echoed papa4 ,why1 this is my  
great ,west ,indian magnolia1  my       
,cleopatra in light colors1 my----      
,hush1 you silly man6    ,this is she1  
putting his hands on my                 
shoulders1--,miss ,giorgione            
,willoughby4    ,by this time he had    
found his manners4    ,miss ,giorgione  
,willoughby1 he said1 with a cool bow1  
,i never knew  you4    ,very well1 ,sir1
 ,i retorted4 ,now you and my father    
have settled the  question1 know my     
amber6 and lifting it again1 it got     
caught in that  curl4    ,i have good   
right to love my hair4 ,what was there  
to do1 when it snarled  in deeper every 
minute1 but for him to help me8 and     
then1 at the  friction of our hands1 the
 beads gave out slightly their pungent  
smell  that breathes all through the    
,arabian ,nights1 you know2 and the     
perfumed  curls were brushing softly    
over his fingers1 and ,i a little vexed 
and  flushed as the blind blew back and 
let in the sunshine and a roistering    

wind2--why1 it was all a pretty scene1  
to be felt then and remembered          
afterward4 ,lu1 ,i believe1 saw at that 
instant how it would be1 and moved  away
 to do as papa had asked2 but no thought
 of it came to me4    ,well1 if you     
can't clear the tangle1 ,i said1 you can
 see the beads4    ,but while with      
delight he examined their curious       
fretting1 he yet saw  me4    ,i am used 
to admiration now1 certainly2 it is my  
food2 without it ,i  should die of      
inanition2 but do you suppose ,i care   
any more for those  who give it to me   
than a ,chinese idol does for--whoever  
swings incense  before it8 ,are you     
devoted to your butcher and milkman8 ,we
 desire only  the unpossessed or        
unattainable1 something afar from the   
sphere of  our sorrow4 ,but1 though     
unconsciously1 ,i may have been piqued  
by this  manner of his4 ,it was new2 not
 a word1 not a glance2 ,i believed it   
was carelessness1 and resolved--merely  
for the sake of conquering1 ,i  fancied1

 too--to change all that4 ,by-and-by the
 beads dropped out of the  curl1 as if  
they had been possessed of mischief and 
had held there of  themselves4 ,he      
caught them4    ,here1 ,circe1 he said4 
,that was the time ,i was so angry2 for1
 at the second1 he meant all it         
comprehended4 ,he saw1 ,i suppose1 for  
he added at once1--    ,or what was the 
name of the ,witch of ,atlas1      ',the
 magic circle of whose voice and eyes   
,all savage natures did imparadise8'    
,i wonder what made me think him mocking
 me4 ,frequently since then he has      
called me by that name4    ,i don't know
 much about geography1 ,i said4         
,besides1 these didn't come  from there4
 ,little ,asian--the imp of my name1 you
 remember--owned them4    ,ah8 with the 
utmost apathy2 and turning to my father1
 ,i saw the  painting that enslaved you1
 ,sir1 he said4    ,yes1 yes1 said papa1
 gleefully4 ,and then why didn't you    
make me a  copy8    ,why8 ,here he      
glanced round the room1 as if he weren't

 thinking at all  of the matter in hand4
 ,the coloring is more than one can     
describe1  though faded4 ,but ,i don't  
think you would like it so much now4    
,moreover1  ,sir1 ,i cannot make copies4
    ,i stepped towards them1 quite      
forgetful of my pride4 ,can't8 ,i       
exclaimed4 ,oh1 how splendid6 ,because  
then no other man comes between  you and
 ,nature2 your ideal hangs before you1  
and special glimpses open  and shut on  
you1 glimpses which copyists never      
obtain4    ,i don't think you are right1
 he said1 coldly1 his hands loosely     
crossed behind him1 leaning on the      
corner of the mantel1 and looking       
unconcernedly out of the window4        
,wasn't it provoking8 ,i remembered     
myself1--and remembered1 too1 that ,i   
never had made a real exertion to       
procure anything1 and it wasn't worth   
while to begin then1 beside not being my
 forte2 things must come to me4  ,just  
then ,lu reentered1 and one of the      
servants brought a tray1 and we  had    

lunch4 ,then our visitor rose to go4    
,no1 no1 said papa4 ,stay the day out   
with the girls4 ,it's ,mayday1 and      
there are to be fireworks on the other  
bank to-night4    ,fireworks for        
,mayday8    ,yes1 to be sure4 ,wait and 
see4    ,it would be so pleasant6       
pleaded ,lu4    ,and a band1 ,i forgot  
to mention4 ,i have an engagement       
myself1 so you'll  excuse me2 but the   
girls will do the honors1 and ,i shall  
meet you at  dinner4    ,so it was      
arranged4 ,papa went out4 ,i curled up  
on a lounge1--for ,lu  wouldn't have    
liked to be left1 if ,i had liked to    
leave her1--and soon1  when he sat down 
by her quite across the room1 ,i half   
shut my eyes and  pretended to sleep4   
,he began to turn over her work-basket1 
taking up her  thimble1 snipping at the 
thread with her scissors3 ,i see now he 
wasn't  thinking about it1 and was      
trying to recover what he considered a  
proper  state of feeling1 but ,i fancied
 he was very gentle and tender1 though  

,i  couldn't hear what they said1 and ,i
 never took the trouble to listen in  my
 life4 ,in about five minutes ,i was    
tired of this playing 'possum1 and  took
 my observations4    ,what is your idea 
of a ,louise8 ,mine is dark eyes1 dark  
hair1 decided  features1 pale1 brown    
pale1 with a mole on the left           
cheek1--and that's  ,louise4 ,nothing   
striking1 but pure and clear1 and       
growing always better4    ,for          
him1--he's not one of those cliff-like  
men against whom you are  blown as a    
feather1 ,i don't fancy that kind2 ,i   
can stand of myself1 rule  myself4 ,he  
isn't small1 though2 no1 he's tall      
enough1 but all his frame  is delicate1 
held to earth by nothing but the cords  
of a strong will1  --very little body1  
very much soul4 ,he1 too1 is pale1 and  
has dark eyes  with violet darks in     
them4 ,you don't call him beautiful in  
the least1  but you don't know him4 ,i  
call him beauty itself1 and ,i know him 
thoroughly4 ,a stranger might have      

thought1 when ,i spoke of those copals  
,rose carved1 that ,rose was some girl4 
,but though he has a feminine           
sensibility1 like ,correggio or         
,schubert1 nobody could call him        
womanish4  ,les races se fminisent4     
,don't you remember ,matthew ,roydon's  
,astrophill8      ,a sweet1 attractive  
kind of grace1    ,a full assurance     
given by looks1    ,continual comfort in
 a face4    ,i always think of that     
flame in an alabaster vase1 when ,i see 
him2 one  sweet grace fed still with one
 sweet mind2 a countenance of another   
sphere3 that's ,vaughan ,rose4 ,it      
provokes me that ,i can't paint him     
myself1 without other folk's words2 but 
you see there's no natural image  of him
 in me1 and so ,i can't throw it        
strongly on any canvas4 ,as for his     
manners1 you've seen them2--now tell me1
 was there ever anything so  winning    
when he pleases1 and always a most      
gracious courtesy in his  air1 even when
 saying an insufferably uncivil thing8  

,he has an art1 a  science1 of putting  
the unpleasant out of his sight1        
ignoring or looking  over it1 which     
sometimes gives him an absent way2 and  
that is because he  so delights in      
beauty2 he seems to have woven a mist   
over his face then1  and to be shut in  
on his own inner loveliness2 and many a 
woman thinks  he is perfectly devoted1  
when1 very like1 he is swinging over    
some  lonely ,spanish sierra beneath the
 stars1 or buried in noonday ,brazilian 
forests1 half stifled with the fancied  
breath of every gorgeous blossom  of the
 zone4 ,till this time1 it had been the 
perfection of form rather  than tint    
that had enthralled him2 he had come    
home with severe ideas1  too severe2 he 
needed me1 you see4    ,but while       
looking at him and ,lu1 on that day1 ,i 
didn't perceive half of  this1 only felt
 annoyed at their behavior1 and let them
 feel that ,i  was noticing them4       
,there's nothing worse than that2 it is 
a very  upas-breath1 it puts on the     

brakes1 and of course a chill and a     
restraint overcame them till ,mr4       
,dudley was announced4    ,dear6 dear6  
,i exclaimed1 getting upon my feet4     
,what ever shall we do1  ,lu8 ,i'm not  
dressed for him4 ,and while ,i stood1   
,mr4 ,dudley came in4    ,mr4 ,dudley   
didn't seem to mind whether ,i was      
dressed in cobweb or  sheet-iron2 for he
 directed his looks and conversation so 
much to ,lu1  that ,rose came and sat on
 a stool before me and began to talk4   
,miss ,willoughby--    ,yone1 please4   
,but you are not ,yone4    ,well1 just  
as you choose4 ,you were going to say8  
,merely to ask how you liked the        
,islands4    ,oh1 well enough4    ,no   
more8 he said4 ,they wouldn't have      
broken your spell so1 if that  had been 
all4 ,do you know ,i actually believe in
 enchantments now8    ,i was indignant1 
but amused in spite of myself4    ,well1
 he continued1 why don't you say it8    
,how impertinent am ,i8 ,you  won't8    
,why don't you laugh1 then8    ,dear me6

 ,i replied4 ,you are so much on the    
'subtle-souled-psychologist' line1 that 
there's no need of my speaking  at all4 
,i can carry on all the dialogue8 ,then 
let me say how you liked the  ,islands4 
,i shall do no such thing4 ,i liked the 
,west ,indies because there is life     
there2 because the air is a firmament of
 balm1 and you grow in it like  a flower
 in the sun2 because the fierce heat and
 panting winds wake and  kindle all     
latent color1 and fertilize every germ  
of delight that might  sleep here       
forever4 ,that's why ,i liked them2 and 
you knew it just as  well before as now4
    ,yes2 but ,i wanted to see if you   
knew it4 ,so you think there is life    
there in that dead ,atlantis4    ,life  
of the elements1 rain1 hail1 fire1 and  
snow4    ,snow thrice bolted by the     
northern blast1 ,i fancy1 by which time 
it  becomes rather misty4 ,exaggerated  
snow4    ,everything there is an        
exaggeration4 ,coming here from ,england
 is like  stepping out of a fog into an 

almost exhausted receiver2 but you've no
  idea what light is1 till you've been  
in those inland hills4 ,you think a     
blue sky the perfection of bliss8 ,when 
you see a white sky1 a dome of          
colorless crystal1 with purple swells of
 mountain heaving round you1 and  a     
wilderness of golden greens royally     
languid below1 while stretches of  a    
scarlet blaze1 enough to ruin a weak    
constitution1 flaunt from the  rank     
vines that lace every thicket1 and the  
whole world1 and you with  it1 seems    
breaking into blossom1--why1 then you   
know what light is and  can do4 ,the    
very wind there by day is bright1 now   
faint1 now stinging1  and makes a low1  
wiry music through the loose sprays1 as 
if they were  tense harp-strings4       
,nothing startles2 all is like a grand  
composition  utterly wrought out4 ,what 
a blessing it is that the blacks have   
been  imported there1--their swarthiness
 is in such consonance6    ,no2 the     
native race was in better consonance4   

,you are so enthusiastic1  it is pity   
you ever came away4    ,not at all4 ,i  
didn't know anything about it till ,i   
came back4    ,but a mere animal or     
vegetable life is not much4 ,what was   
ever done in  the tropics8    ,almost   
all the world's history1--wasn't it8    
,no1 indeed2 only the first1 most       
trifling1 and barbarian movements4      
,at all events1 you are full of         
blessedness in those climates1 and that 
is the end and aim of all action2 and if
 ,nature will do it for you1  there is  
no need of your interference4 ,it is    
much better to be than  to do2--one is a
 strife1 the other is possession4       
,you mean being as the complete         
attainment8 ,there is only one ,being1  
then4 ,all the rest of us are----       
,oh1 dear me6 that sounds like          
metaphysics6 ,don't6    ,so you see1 you
 are not full of blessedness there4     
,you ought to have been born in         
,abelard's time1--you've such a         
disputatious spirit4 ,that's ,i don't   

know how many times you have            
contradicted me to-day4    ,pardon4     
,i wonder if you are so easy with all   
women4    ,i don't know many4    ,i     
shall watch to see if you contradict ,lu
 this way4    ,i don't need4 ,how       
absorbed she is6 ,mr4 ,dudley is        
'interesting'8    ,i don't know4 ,no4   
,but then1 ,lu is a good girl1 and he's 
her  minister1--a ,delphic oracle4 ,she 
thinks the sun and moon set somewhere   
round ,mr4 ,dudley4 ,oh6 ,i mean to show
 him my amber4    ,and ,i tossed it into
 ,lu's lap1 saying1--    ,show it to    
,mr4 ,dudley1 ,lu1--and ask him if it   
isn't divine6    ,of course1 he was     
shocked1 and wouldn't go into ecstasies 
at all2  tripped on the adjective4      
,there are gods enough in it to be      
divine1 said ,rose1 taking it from      
,lu's hand and bringing it back to me4  
,all those very ,gnostic deities  who   
assisted at ,creation4 ,you are not     
afraid that the imprisoned things  work 
their spells upon you8 ,the oracle      

declares it suits your cousin  best1 he 
added1 in a lower tone4    ,all the oaf 
knows6 ,i responded4 ,i wish you'd      
admire it1 ,mr4 ,dudley4  ,mr4 ,rose    
don't like amber1--handles it like      
nettles4    ,no1 said ,rose1 ,i don't   
like amber4    ,he prefers aqua-marina1 
,i continued4 ,lu1 produce yours6 ,for  
she had  not heard him4    ,yes1 said   
,mr4 ,dudley1 rubbing his finger over   
his lip while he gazed1  every one must 
prefer aqua-marina4    ,nonsense6 ,it's 
no better than glass4 ,i'd as soon wear 
a set of  window-panes4 ,there's no     
expression in it4 ,it isn't alive1 like 
real  gems4    ,mr4 ,dudley stared4     
,rose laughed4    ,what a vindication of
 amber6 he said4    ,he was standing    
now1 leaning against the mantel1 just as
 he was before  lunch4 ,lu looked at him
 and smiled4    ,yone is exultant1      
because we both wanted the beads1 she   
said4 ,i like  amber as much as she4    
,nothing near so much1 ,lu6    ,why     
didn't you have them1 then8 asked ,rose1

 quickly4    ,oh1 they belonged to      
,yone2 and uncle gave me these1 which ,i
 like  better4 ,amber is warm1 and      
smells of the earth2 but this is cool   
and  dewy1 and----    ,smells of heaven8
 asked ,i1 significantly4    ,mr4       
,dudley began to fidget1 for he saw no  
chance of finishing his  exposition4    
,as ,i was saying1 ,miss ,louisa1 he    
began1 in a different key4    ,i took my
 beads and wound them round my wrist4   
,you haven't as much eye  for color as a
 poppy-bee1 ,i exclaimed1 in a          
corresponding key1 and  looking up at   
,rose4    ,unjust4 ,i was thinking then 
how entirely they suited you4    ,thank 
you4 ,vastly complimentary from one who 
'don't like amber'6    ,nevertheless1   
you think so4    ,yes and no4 ,why don't
 you like it8    ,you mustn't ask me for
 my reasons4 ,it is not merely          
disagreeable1 but  hateful4    ,and     
you've been beside me1 like a           
,christian1 all this time1 and ,i had   
it6    ,the perfume is acrid2 ,i        

associate it with the lower jaw of ,st4 
,basil  the ,great1 styled a present of 
immense value1 you remember1--being     
hard1  heavy1 shining like gold1 the    
teeth yet in it1 and with a smell more  
delightful than amber1--making a mock   
shudder at the word4    ,oh1 it is      
prejudice1 then4    ,not in the least4  
,it is antipathy4 ,besides1 the thing is
 unnatural2  there is no existent cause 
for it4 ,a bit that turns up on certain 
sands1--here at home1 for aught ,i know1
 as often as anywhere4    ,which means  
,nazareth4 ,we must teach you1 ,sir1    
that there are some  things at home as  
rare as those abroad4    ,i am taught1  
he said1 very low1 and without looking  
up4    ,just tell me1 what is amber8    
,fossil gum4    ,can you say those words
 and not like it8 ,don't it bring to you
 a  magnificent picture of the pristine 
world1--great seas and other  skies1--a 
world of accentuated crises1 that       
sloughed off age after age1  and rose   
fresher from each plunge8 ,don't you    

see1 or long to see1 that  mysterious   
magic tree out of whose pores oozed this
 fine solidified  sunshine8 ,what leaf  
did it have8 what blossom8 what great   
wind shivered  its branches8 ,was it a  
giant on a lonely coast1 or thick low   
growth  blistered in ravines and dells8 
,that's the witchery of amber1--that it 
has no cause1--that all the world grew  
to produce it1--may-be died  and gave no
 other sign1--that its tree1 which must 
have been beautiful1  dropped all its   
fruits2 and how bursting with juice must
 they have  been----    ,unfortunately1 
coniferous4    ,be quiet4 ,stripped     
itself of all its lush luxuriance1 and  
left for a  vestige only this little    
fester of its gashes4    ,no1 again1 he 
once more interrupted4 ,i have seen     
remnants of the wood  and bark in a     
museum4    ,or has it hidden and        
compressed all its secret here8 ,i      
continued1  obliviously4 ,what if in    
some piece of amber an accidental seed  
were  sealed1 we found1 and planted1 and

 brought back the lost aeons8 ,what a   
glorious world that must have been1     
where even the gum was so precious6     
,in a picture1 yes4 ,necessary for this4
 ,but1 my dear ,miss ,willoughby1  you  
convince me that the ,amber ,witch      
founded your family1 he said1  having   
listened with an amused face4 ,loveliest
 amber that ever the  sorrowing         
sea-birds have wept1 he hummed4 ,there6 
isn't that kind of  stuff enough to make
 a man detest it8    ,yes4    ,and you  
are quite as bad in another way4    ,oh6
    ,just because1 when we hold it in   
our hands1 we hold also that furious    
epoch where rioted all monsters and     
poisons1--where death fecundated  and   
life destroyed1--where superabundance   
demanded such existences1 no  souls1 but
 fiercest animal fire2--just for that ,i
 hate it4    ,why1 then1 is it fitted   
for me8    ,he laughed again1 but       
replied1--,the hues harmonize1--the     
substances2  you both are accidents2 it 
suits your beauty4    ,so1 then1 it     

seemed ,i had beauty1 after all4    ,you
 mean that it harmonizes with me1       
because ,i am a symbol of its  period4  
,if there had been women then1 they     
would have been like me1--a  great      
creature without a soul1 a----    ,pray1
 don't finish the sentence4 ,i can      
imagine that there is something  rich   
and voluptuous and sating about amber1  
its color1 and its lustre1  and its     
scent2 but for others1 not for me4 ,yea1
 you have beauty1 after  all1 turning   
suddenly1 and withering me with his     
eye1--beauty1 after  all1 as you didn't 
say just now4--,mr4 ,willoughby is in   
the garden4 ,i  must go before he comes 
in1 or he'll make me stay4 ,there are   
some to  whom you can't say1 ,no4    ,he
 stopped a minute1 and now1 without     
looking1--indeed1 he looked  everywhere 
but at me1 while we talked1--made a bow 
as if just seating  me from a waltz1    
and1 with his eyes and his smile on     
,louise all the way  down the room1 went
 out4 ,did you ever know such insolence8

    ,to be continued4          ,,song   
,,of ,,nature4        ,mine are the     
night and morning1    ,the pits of air1 
the gulf of space1    ,the sportive sun1
 the gibbous moon1    ,the innumerable  
days4      ,i hide in the blinding      
glory1    ,i lurk in the pealing song1  
,i rest on the pitch of the torrent1    
,in death1 new-born and strong4      ,no
 numbers have counted my tallies1    ,no
 tribes my house can fill1    ,i sit by 
the shining ,fount of life1    ,and pour
 the deluge still4      ,and ever by    
delicate powers    ,gathering along the 
centuries    ,from race on race the     
fairest flowers1    ,my wreath shall    
nothing miss4      ,and many a thousand 
summers    ,my apples ripened well1     
,and light from meliorating stars       
,with firmer glory fell4      ,i wrote  
the past in characters    ,of rock and  
fire the scroll1    ,the building in the
 coral sea1    ,the planting of the     
coal4      ,and thefts from satellites  
and rings    ,and broken stars ,i drew1 

,and out of spent and aged things    ,i 
formed the world anew4      ,what time  
the gods kept carnival1    ,tricked out 
in star and flower1    ,and in cramp elf
 and saurian forms    ,they swathed     
their too much power4      ,time and    
,thought were my surveyors1    ,they    
laid their courses well1    ,they boiled
 the sea1 and baked the layers    ,of   
granite1 marl1 and shell4      ,but     
him--the man-child glorious1    ,where  
tarries he the while8    ,the rainbow   
shines his harbinger1    ,the sunset    
gleams his smile4      ,my boreal lights
 leap upward1    ,forthright my planets 
roll1    ,and still the man-child is not
 born1    ,the summit of the whole4     
,must time and tide forever run8        
,will never my winds go sleep in the    
,west8    ,will never my wheels1 which  
whirl the sun    ,and satellites1 have  
rest8      ,too much of donning and     
doffing1    ,too slow the rainbow fades2
    ,i weary of my robe of snow1    ,my 
leaves1 and my cascades4      ,i tire of

 globes and races1    ,too long the game
 is played2    ,what1 without him1 is   
summer's pomp1    ,or winter's frozen   
shade8      ,i travail in pain for him1 
,my creatures travail and wait2    ,his 
couriers come by squadrons1    ,he comes
 not to the gate4      ,twice ,i have   
moulded an image1    ,and thrice        
outstretched my hand1    ,made one of   
day1 and one of night1    ,and one of   
the salt-sea-sand4      ,i moulded kings
 and saviours1    ,and bards o'er kings 
to rule2    ,but fell the starry        
influence short1    ,the cup was never  
full4      ,yet whirl the glowing wheels
 once more1    ,and mix the bowl again1 
,seethe1 ,fate6 the ancient elements1   
,heat1 cold1 dry1 wet1 and peace and    
pain      ,let war and trade and creeds 
and song    ,blend1 ripen race on       
race1--    ,the sunburnt world a man    
shall breed    ,of all the zones and    
countless days4      ,no ray is dimmed1 
no atom worn1    ,my oldest force is    
good as new1    ,and the fresh rose on  

yonder thorn    ,gives back the bending 
heavens in dew4          ,,nemophily    
,an earnest plea was once entered in    
,maga's pages for the bodies  of saints4
 ,yet it is to be hoped that others not 
included in that  respectable class may 
have physical needs also1 and it is to  
be feared  that they may not be above   
the necessity of a little of the same   
invigorating tonic4 ,for there are not a
 few on this continent of ours1  whom   
the ,avvocata del ,diavolo would        
certainly expect to enter a nolo        
contendere1 who stand in much need of a 
healthy animalism4 ,that these  sinners 
would be benefited by what ,mr4         
,kingsley's critics call muscular       
,christianity cannot be denied4 ,for    
they are not sinners beyond all hope  of
 amendment1 by any means2 and their     
offences being rather against  the laws 
and light of ,nature than against any of
 the commands of the  ,decalogue1 it is 
earnestly desired that they be brought  
within the pale  of promise1 even if    

they never reach the sacred fane of     
canonization4    ,indeed1 at the outset1
 let there be a protest entered on      
behalf of the  sinner against this      
unnecessary pity of the saint4 ,it is a 
part of that  false halo with which     
enthusiastic admiration 7reckless of    
gilding and  ruinously prodigal of      
ochre7 delights to endue the favored    
heads of the  beati4 ,the saint himself 
countenances the folly1 and meekly      
inclines  his head 7sideways7 to the    
rays4 ,it is a part of the capital of   
the  calling to look interesting4 ,the  
revered and reverend ,charles ,honeyman1
  in the hands of that acute manager1   
,mr4 ,sherrick1 was bidden to sit in    
his pew at evening service and cough4 ,a
 qualified consumption and a  moderate  
bronchitis are no bad substitutes for   
eloquence1 learning1 and  that          
indiscreet piety which is so careless of
 feminine favor as to  bring into the   
pulpit a robust person and to the       
dinner-table a healthy  appetite4       

,but the saint1 if he have a reasonable 
sense of his pastoral duty1 gets1  malgr
 lui1 a very fair share of that open-air
 medicine which is  supposed to be the  
great lack of his profession4 ,for if he
 be a  clergyman in a rural parish of   
tolerable extent and with no great      
superfluity of wealth1 he will not want 
for either air or exercise4 ,the        
,george ,herbert so situated finds by no
 means his whole round of duty in  the  
study4 ,old ,mrs4 ,smith1 sick and      
bedridden1 lives a couple of miles  from
 the parsonage2 but the thoughtless     
creature actually expects a  weekly     
visit and half-hour's reading of certain
 old familiar ,english  literature1 and 
will remind her pastor of it1 if the    
expected day pass  without his coming4  
,jones and his wife1 who live in just   
the other  direction1 are wantonly apt1 
upon the insufficient plea of a long    
walk1  to be missed from their wonted   
pew on a stormy ,sunday1 and must be    
looked up4 ,little ,mary ,gray has not  

been to ,sunday-school4 ,cause          
suspected1--insufficient shoes4 ,bessy  
,bell1 up the cross-road1 quite  over   
beyond ,beman's ,farms1 is likewise     
delinquent1 from the opposite  want of a
 bonnet4 ,wilson1 the cross-grained     
vestryman1 has an idea1  which never    
fails by ,saturday night to break out   
into a positive rush of  conviction1    
that the minister is neglecting his     
studies and going to  ,rome1 if he      
doesn't in the course of the week go to 
,wilson and carry  him the ,church      
papers and take a look at the ,wilson   
prize-pigs4 ,so good  ,mr4 ,herbert     
never fails1 in due attestation of his  
abhorrence of the  ,bishop of ,rome and 
his detestable enormities1 to foot it   
over the rocky  hill and down across the
 rickety little bridge and past the     
poor-house  farm1 7where he stops on a  
little private business of his own1 that
  perhaps makes a few old hearts and    
certainly one old coat-pocket the       
lighter17 and so on1 a good piece1      

through the woods1 to where ,vestryman  
,wilson is bending over the hoe or      
swinging the axe1 and thinking the      
while what an easy life the parson has  
of it4    ,then ,mr4 ,herbert gets the  
occasional tonic of a brisk walk over   
the  hard-beaten snow1 of a moonlight   
winter's night4 ,a walk-only think of   
it6--over the crisp1 crunching snow1 to 
the distant outlying hamlet of  ,paton's
 ,corner1 where a few are gathered in   
the little school-house to  hear him    
preach1 and to give him the happy relief
 of a five-mile tramp  home again4      
,it is really doubtful if dumb-bells1 a 
gymnasium1 and a pickerel-back          
racing-wherry would meet precisely the  
case of ,mr4 ,herbert1 however          
desirable for city saints who have      
plenty of spare sixpences for the       
omnibuses4    ,but the miserable        
sinner1--where1 as the shepherd         
exclaimed1 to ,mr4  ,weller's           
indignation1 is the miserable sinner8   
,keeping school1  keeping books1 making 

books1 standing behind counters when    
busy and on  street-corners when        
disengaged1 doing anything or everything
 but taking  care of his precious body1 
and thereby giving his precious soul the
  chance of being in very bad company1  
and following the fate of poor  ,tray1  
and of the well-meaning stork in ,dr4   
,aesop's fable4 ,what shall he1  or     
rather1 what can he1 do with his        
leisure8 ,for leisure more or less      
almost every young man has1--and it is  
of young men1 and especially of  the    
very young men1 that we are benevolently
 writing4 ,if he dwell  in an inland    
town1 the boat-club is hopeless1--and   
boat-clubs1 though  capital things for  
the young gentlemen of ,harvard and     
,yale and ,trinity1  have also their    
drawbacks4 ,one cannot always be ready  
to move in  complete unison with a dozen
 fellow-mortals4 ,pendennis is never    
ready  when the club are desirous to    
row2 ,newcome is perpetually anxious to 
tempt the wave when the wave tempts     

nobody else4 ,the gymnasium gets to  be 
a wearisome round of very               
mill-horse-like work1 after the         
varieties  of possible dislocation of   
all one's bones have been exhausted4    
,climbing  ropes and poles with nothing 
but cobwebs at the top1 and leaping     
horses  with only tan at the bottom1    
grow monotonous after six months' steady
  dissipation thereat4 ,base-ball clubs 
do not always find desirable  commons1  
and the municipal fathers of the towns  
have a prejudice against  them in the   
streets4 ,what shall youth1 conscious of
 muscle and eager for  fresh air1 do8   
,even the gloves are not fancy-free1 but
 are very apt to  bring with them the   
slang of the ring and the beastly       
associations  of professional pugilism4 
,youth looks up to its teachers2 but if 
its  teachers in the manly art be the   
,game-,chicken1 the ,pet1 the ,slasher1 
youth1 in learning to respect the brute 
strength of such men1 will  hardly learn
 to respect itself4    ,but--and here   

lies the purport of this article--there 
is hardly a town  or village of ,new    
,england which has not within a quarter 
of a mile of  its suburbs a patch of    
woodland or a strip of sandy beach4     
,what is to  hinder the sinner1 if he   
repent him of the foul air and cramped  
posture  of which he has been the       
victim1 from a little pedestrianism8 ,do
  ,american men and boys ever walk8     
,drive1 it is known they do2 they can   
always get time for that4 ,but to walk1 
certainly to scramble and to  climb1    
must be added by ,mr4 ,phillips1 in the 
new editions of his  exquisite and      
inexhaustible ,lecture1 to the catalogue
 of the ,lost  ,arts4    ,yet ,nature   
never grows outworn1--is unwearied in   
the bounty which she  bestows on the    
seeker4 ,i said a strip of sandy beach1 
just now4 ,for that  ,i beg leave to    
refer the reader to ,mr4 ,kingsley's    
fascinating ,glaucus1  and to the       
delightful papers which appeared in     
,blackwood a year or two  ago4 ,my      

business is with the woods and fields4  
,certainly some who read  my pages will 
have leisure to climb a stone wall now  
and then1 and for  them the following   
sketches of ,new ,england wood-walks may
 serve to show  how much enjoyment may  
be got with but little outlay of        
appliances4 ,of  course the most        
tempting thing to seek is sport4 ,but   
the gun and the  fishing-rod are useless
 in many towns1 from the disappearance  
of all  worthy objects for their        
exercise4 ,the birds are wild and shy2  
the trout  have been coculus-indicused  
out of the mountain-brooks to supply    
metropolitan hotel-tables and           
,delmonican larders4 ,let us go after   
more  attainable things4 ,and first1    
being a true nemophilist1 ,i protest    
against botany4 ,a flower worth a       
five-mile walk and a wet foot is worthy 
of something better than dissection with
 the ,linnaean classification1          
afterward adding insult to injury4 ,the 
botanist is not a discoverer2 he  is    

only a pedant4 ,he finds out nothing    
about the plant2 he serves it  as we    
might fancy a monster doing1 who should 
take this number of the  ,atlantic and  
sit down1 not to read it1 not to inhale 
the delicate  fragrance of its thought1 
but to count its articles1 examine their
  titles1 and1 having compared them with
 the newspaper advertisement1  sweep the
 whole contentedly into the dust-heap4  
,to study the plant1 to  see how it gets
 its living1 why it will grow on one    
side of a brook in  profusion1 and yet  
refuse to seek the other bank1 is not   
his care4 ,it  is simply to see whether 
he can abuse its honest ,english or     
,new-,english  simplicity by calling it 
by one set or another of barbarous      
,latin and  ,greek titles4 ,pray1 my    
good ,sir1 does a man go to see the     
elephant only  to call him a            
pachydermatous quadruped8    ,but we are
 wasting time and shall never get into  
the woods4 ,in the  winter wild you will
 hardly get far into them1 except at the

 ,christmas  season for greenery4       
,gathering this by deputy is poor       
business4 ,it is  all very well1 if you 
can do no better1 to engage ,mr4 ,brown 
to engage  some one else to bring in the
 needed spruce1 fir1 and hemlock with   
which  to obscure the fresco deformities
 of ,st4 ,boniface's2 but it is far     
better to hunt for them yourself4 ,there
 is something intensely  delightful in  
the changes of the search2 for it begins
 dull enough4 ,you  start in the drear  
,december weather1 with a gray sky and  
leaden clouds  softly shaded in regular 
billows1 like an ,india-ink ocean1      
overhead1  and a somewhat muddy lane    
before you4 ,then to pick one's way     
across the  plashy meadows1 and1 after a
 ticklish pass of jumping from one reedy
  tussock to another1 to get once more  
upon the firm soil1 while the  grass1   
dry and crisp under your feet1 gives a  
pleasant whish1 whish1  as it does the  
duty of street-door-mat to your         
mud-beclogged sandals4  ,now for the    

stone wall4 ,on the other side are thick
 set the thorny  stalks of last summer's
 high-bush blackberries4 ,a plunge and a
  scramble take you through in          
comparative safety2 and stopping only to
  disengage your skirts from a too-fond 
bramble1 you are in the woodland4       
,thick-strewn the dead leaves lie under 
foot4 ,what music there is in the       
rustling murmur with which they greet   
your invading step6 ,on1 deeper and     
deeper into the wood1--now dodging under
 the green and snaky cat-briers1  with  
their retractile thorns and vicious     
clinging grasp1--now dashing  along the 
woodman's paths1--now struggling among  
the opposing  underwood4 ,at last a     
little sprig of feathery green catches  
the eye4  ,it is a tuft of moss4        
,no1--it is the running ground-pine2 and
 clearing  away1 with both eager hands1 
leaves1 sticks1 moss1 and all the fallen
  exuciae of the summertime1 you tear up
 long wreaths of that most  graceful of 
evergreens4 ,then1 in another quarter of

 the woodland1 where  the underbrush has
 been killed by the denser shade1 there 
rise the  exquisite fan-shaped plumes of
 the feather-pine1 of deepest green1 or 
brown-golden with the pencil of the     
frost2--for cross or star or thick      
festoon1 there is nothing so beautiful4 
,and again you are attracted  into the  
thickets of laurel1 and wage fierce war 
upon the sturdy and  tenacious1 yet     
brittle branches1 till you are          
transformed into a walking              
jack-o'-the-green4 ,the holly of the    
,english ,christmas1 all-besprent with  
crimson drops1 is hard to be found in   
,new ,england1 and you will have to     
thread the courses of the brooks to seek
 the swamp-loving black alder1  which   
will furnish as brilliant a berry1 but  
without the beautiful  thorny leaf4     
,only in one patch of woodland do ,i    
know of the holly4 ,in  the southeastern
 corner of ,massachusetts1--if you will 
take the trouble  to follow up a        
railroad-track for a couple of miles and

 then plunge  into the pine woods1 you  
will come upon a few lonely1 stunted    
scraps of  it4 ,the warmer airs which   
the ,gulf ,stream sends upon that coast 
have1  it is said1 something to do      
therewith4 ,of course1 if ,i am wrong1  
the  botanists will take vengeance upon 
me2 but ,i can only say what has been   
said to me4 ,we nemophilists are apt to 
be careless of solemn science and  go   
upon all sorts of uncertain tradition4  
,but ,christmas comes but once a year4  
,after chancel and nave have been  duly 
adorned1 and again disrobed against the 
coming sobrieties of ,lent1  there are  
other temptations to the woods4 ,before 
the snow has wholly  vanished from the  
shelter of the wood-lots1 the warm1     
hazy1 wooing days  of ,april come upon  
us4 ,on such a day1--how well in this   
snow-season ,i  remember it6--,i have   
been lured out by the hope of the       
,mayflower1 the  delicate epigae repens1
 miscalled the trailing arbutus4 ,up the
 rocky  hill-side1 from whose top you   

catch glimpses of the far-off sparkling 
sea1 with a blue haze of island ranges  
belting it1--up among the rocks1  into  
warm1 sheltered1 sunny nooks1 you go    
upon your quest4 ,for the  ,mayflower1  
though found in almost every township in
 ,new ,england1 has  secret and         
unaccountable whims of its own1--will   
persist in blooming  in just one spot1  
where you ought not to expect it1 and in
 avoiding all  likely places4 ,yet when 
you come to its traditionary habitat1 it
 is not  there4 ,round and round we     
pace1 hoping and despairing1 till a     
faint1  most delicate odor1             
indescribably suggestive of woodland    
freshness1  catches the roused sense2 or
 else one silvery star peeps out from   
under  an upturned birch-leaf4 ,then    
down on hands and knees2 tear up brush  
to  right and left1 the brown skeletons 
of the withered foliage4 ,the ground  is
 white with stars4 ,some are touched    
with delicate pink1 some creamy         
white1--but all breathing out the       

evanescent secret of the early spring4  
,such the children of ,plymouth used to 
hang in garlands about the ,pilgrim     
stone1 in honor of the                  
never-to-be-forgotten name of the ,new  
,england  ,argo4    ,later in the year  
come the beautiful blue violets1 which  
are1 ,i am sorry  to say1 scentless4    
,yet their little white cousin1 which   
delights in all  swampy places1 is      
sometimes1 in the first days of its     
appearing1 more  regardful of the prime 
duty of all flowers4 ,i have gathered   
tufts of  them which 7botanists to the  
contrary notwithstanding7 were wellnigh 
as  odorous as if reared in the sunniest
 ,warwickshire lane2 but1 as with a     
perfect specimen of the cast skin of a  
snake1 such a boon is to be hoped  for  
only once in a lifetime4 ,with the      
violets1 the beautiful blush-bells  of  
the anemone come garlanded with their   
graceful leaves1 plentifully  enough4   
,but did the rambler ever find the      
sensitive fern1 which resented  the     

intrusive hand with all ,mimosa's       
coyness8 ,i never did but once4 ,i  have
 wooed many a delicate frond of all     
varieties of fern since1 but  never one 
so conscious4 ,now1 too1 ere the trees  
come into leaf1 is the  time to seek the
 boxwood1 called1 ,i hope improperly1 by
 the ominous name  of the ,southern     
dogwood4 ,it is worth an afternoon's    
ramble to come upon  one of those trees1
 standing in an open glade of the       
forest1 a pyramid  of white or          
cream-colored blossoms4 ,before a leaf  
is on the tree1 it  clothes itself in   
this lovely livery1 and at a little     
distance seems  like a snowy cloud      
rather than a shrub4    ,but with ,june 
comes the most exquisite of our ,new    
,england wild-flowers1  the arethusa1 or
 swamp-pink1 as it is often styled1 to  
the great  confusion of its delicate1   
high-born nature with the great1 vulgar1
  flaunting azalea4 ,when ,june         
comes1--when the clethra is heaped with 
its  bee-beloved blossoms1 and the grass

 is green and bright as never again  in 
the year1 then the arethusa is to be    
sought4 ,a most unaccountable  flower1  
of all shades1 from pale pink to a deep 
purple1 with a lovely  shape that ,i can
 liken to nothing so nearly as the      
fleur-de-lis on  ,french escutcheons1 it
 has a delicate1 yet powerful1 aromatic 
scent1 as  if it were an estray from the
 tropics4 ,one specimen1 snowy white1 ,i
 have  seen1 and can tell you where to  
find another4 ,you are to go out along  
the ,president's highway1 due northward 
from a certain seaport of               
,massachusetts4 ,take the eastward turn 
at the little village which lies  at the
 head of its harbor1 and so north again 
by the old ,friends'  meeting-house1    
which looks in brown placidity away     
toward the distant  shipping and the    
wicked steeple-houses1 into the which so
 many of its  lost lambs have been      
inveigled4 ,then be not tempted to      
strike off down  yonder lane1 to see the
 curious old farm-house1 relic of       

,colony times1  with its odd stone      
chimney1 its projecting upper story and 
carved wooden  pendants1 and its        
shingles all pierced into decorative    
hearts and  rounds4 ,its likeness is not
 in ,barber's book1--no1 nor its visible
 form1  ,i believe1 7it is many a year  
since ,i went that way17 on earth4 ,it  
became a constellation long ago1--being 
translated to the stars4 ,keep on  with 
good heart along the highway ridge1     
whence you can look down on the  solemn1
 close-set1 pine forest1 which hides    
from you the windings of the  river1 and
 the beautiful lakelet1 where the       
water-lilies float in  the summer4 ,go  
on down the valley1 past the old        
tavern1--relic  of stage-coaching days1 
the square1 three-story1                
deserted-looking  tavern1--up again a   
couple of miles or so1 till the river   
has dwindled  to a brook and then to a  
marsh4 ,here is the place of our        
seeking4 ,for  under the shade of one of
 those huge granite rocks over which the

 thin  soil of ---- ,county is          
sprinkled1 and which here and there have
 shaken  off the superincumbent dust in 
indignation at the presumption of man in
  attempting to farm them1--under that  
rock--of course ,i shall not tell  you  
which--you will find the ,white         
,arethusa1 if you are born under a      
lucky star4    ,a little later1 the     
crimson lady-slipper loves to spring up 
in pine  clearings1 around the base of  
the wood-piles which the cutters have   
stacked in the winter to season4 ,to one
 born by the salt water there is  an    
especial forest delight in the pine     
woods4 ,for that best-loved sound  of   
the ceaseless fall of plunging seas upon
 the beach comes to him  there4 ,many a 
time ,i have walked from ,harvard's     
leafy shades and  cheerful halls out to 
the quiet of the ,botanic ,garden for   
the sake of  hearing the wind in the    
pine tree-tops4 ,shut your eyes1 and the
 inward  vision sees once more the long 
line of sandy and shingly beaches1 the  

green curving-up of the surges tipped   
with dazzling foam1--sees the           
motionless and blackened timbers of the 
wreck on the shore1 the white  wings    
dipping and turning along the combing   
tops of the waves racing in  upon the   
sands1--sees the dry tufted beach-grass1
 and the wet1 shining1  compact slope   
down which slides swiftly the under-tow4
 ,and what a  healthful exhilaration it 
is to breathe the balm-laden breath of  
the  pine forest1 and to tread the      
elastic slippery-soft carpet of the     
fallen  spiny leaves6 ,here is the haunt
 of the lady-slipper1 7cypripedium17  a 
shy1 rare flower1 like a little sack    
delicately veined1 with a faint  musky  
scent1 and large-flapped leaves shading 
its flower4    ,in the hot ,july and    
,august1 the scarlet lobelia1 the       
cardinal-flower1 is  to be found4 ,never
 was cardinal so robed4 ,if ,herbert's  
rose1 in poetic  hyperbole1 with its hue
 angry and brave1 bids the rash gazer   
wipe his  eye1 certainly such a bed of  

lobelia as ,i once saw on the road to   
,rollo's ,camp was anything but what the
 ,scotch would call a sight for  sair   
een4 ,for the space of a dozen or twenty
 yards grew a patch of  absolutely      
nothing but lobelia4 ,at a little       
distance it was like a  scarlet carpet  
flung out by the roadside4 ,if you      
desire to twine the  threefold chord of 
color1 as ,mr4 ,ruskin calls it1 ,i know
 of no lovelier  foil for the lobelia   
than the white orchis1 which haunts the 
same marshy  spots4 ,those long spikes  
of feathery and balanced blossoms are   
the most  absolute white of anything in 
,nature4 ,they positively insist upon   
the  very refinement of purity1 as you  
look at them4    ,did you ever see a    
pond-lily8--not the miserable draggled  
green-and-mud-colored buds which        
enterprising boys bring into the cars   
for sale2 but the white water-lily1     
floating on the silent brooks1 or  far  
out in the safe depths of the           
mill-ponds4 ,the ,autocrat knows what   

pond-lilies are1 having visited         
,prospero's ,isle and seen the          
pink-tinged  sisterhood of a certain    
mere that lies embosomed in its hills4  
,but to  know them1 you must hunt for   
them1--tramp off to the distant stream1 
and  then1 not stand on the bank and    
wish and sigh1 but off hose and shoon1  
and1 careless of water-snake and        
snapping-turtle1 wade in up to their    
virgin bower1 and bear off the dripping1
 fragrant prize4 ,none but the  brave   
deserve--lady or lily4    ,but if the   
stream be too deep and wide1 and the    
lilies are anchored far  out among their
 broad pads1--a floral ,venice1 with the
 blue spikes and  arrowy leaves of the  
pickerel-weed for campaniles and        
towers1--there  are yet lilies of the   
field over which you may profitably     
meditate1  remembering that ,solomon    
,ben-,david was not so arrayed4 ,two    
kinds there  are1--one like the         
tiger-lily of the gardens1 the petals   
curled back  and showing the whole      

leopard-spotted corolla1--the other     
bell-shaped1  rarer1 and growing one    
only on a stalk4 ,both are to be found  
in open  spaces1 bush-grown fields1 and 
airy1 sunny spots4 ,it is worth a hot   
and  dusty ,june walk to get into one of
 those nooks4 ,you can spend days and   
not exhaust the study which one little  
triangular bit of overgrown  pasture    
affords1--spend them1 not as a          
naturalist in close1 patient  study1    
because to such a one a square yard of  
moss is as exhaustless as  the forests  
of ,guiana to a ,waterton1 but as a     
nemophilist1 taking simple  delight in  
mere observation and individual         
discovery4      ,many haps fall in the  
field    ,seldom seen by watchful eyes4 
,and so all sorts of curious ways are   
discoverable by the mere  wood-lounger4 
,at one time your way is barred by the  
great portcullis of  the strong threaded
 web of the field spider1 who sits like 
a porter in  king's livery of black and 
gold at his gate4 ,then you have a peep 

into  the winding maelstrm-funnel of    
another of the spider family4 ,poe must 
have suffered metempsychosis into the   
body of a blue-bottle1 when he  wrote   
his ,descent into the ,maelstrm2 for    
such an insect1 hanging  midway down    
that treacherous1 sticky descent1 and   
seeing ,death creeping  up from the     
bottom to grasp him1 might have a clear 
idea of what was  undergone by the      
fisherman of ,lofoden4    ,or1 if one   
tire of the open meadows1 and the sun be
 too hot1 think of  the laurel          
groves1--not now1 as in the             
,christmas-time1 white with snow1  but  
white again with thousands on thousands 
of argent cups1 loaded with  blossoms1  
meeting over your head in arches of     
flowery tracery1 and one  solitary tree 
standing deep in the woods1 like a      
frigate packed with her  silver canvas  
lying out to windward of the fleet of   
merchantmen she is  convoying4 ,the cool
 laurel groves6 ,often as one sees that 
sight1 it is  always with a fresh shock 

of pleasure to the frame4    ,then1 when
 autumn comes and the leaves change1    
there is still endless  variety for the 
little basket or botanical-case which   
swings lightly on  your arm or hangs    
across your shoulder4 ,owen ,jones never
 devised any  ornaments for wall or     
niche one half so brilliant as the color
 of those  leaves which a dexterous hand
 will readily group upon a sheet of     
white  paper1 where your eye may catch  
it1 as1 after achieving a successful    
sentence1 you look up from your         
study-table4 ,speaking of leaves1 who   
knows how large an oak-loaf will grow in
 this ,new ,england8 ,i have just  sat  
down after measuring one gathered in a  
bit of copse hard by the town  of       
,m----1 a bit of copse which skirts a   
beautiful wild ravine1 with a  superb   
hemlock and pine grove creeping down its
 steep bank4 ,i have just  honestly     
measured my leaf1 and it shows fourteen 
inches in length by a  trifle of nine   
and a half in breadth4    ,in the same  

ravine ,i found--and in any patch of    
woodland you may do the  like--a perfect
 treasury of mosses4 ,a shallow tin box 
or a wooden bowl  filled with these and 
duly watered will give a winter-garden  
to  the smallest lodging4 ,sun and light
 are1 as ,mr4 ,toots says1 of no        
consequence to the moss family4 ,but if 
one be above such trifles as  mosses1   
and with ,young ,american loftiness     
aspire to full-grown trees1  there is   
still plenty to do in the most ordinary 
woodlands4 ,after a  chapter of ,mr4    
,ruskin upon ,claude and ,poussin and   
,turner1 there is  nothing like going to
 the original documents4 ,in default of 
the ,national  ,gallery from ,london and
 the ,pitti ,palace from the other side 
of ,arno1  which cannot be summoned into
 court at a moment's notice1 we can     
solve  at least half the problem4 ,mr4  
,ruskin may or may not be right about   
the  ,claudes2 but it is very easy to   
see if he be right as to the trees4 ,and
  if we prove him right with his theory 

of branches and bark1 we have a  fair   
presumption that he has eyes to see the 
alleged falsehoods in him  of ,lorraine4
 ,now here is a chance to do a little   
bit of ,art-criticism  quite            
unexpensively4 ,discontented young      
gentlemen murmur about the  education of
 this people being too practical1       
unaesthetic1 and all that1  and sigh for
 the culture which a foreign land only  
can give4 ,but a man  who has no eye for
 ,nature will hardly learn to love her  
at second-hand  through the mediation of
 canvas and colors4 ,i should like very 
much to  be able to walk into a ,turner 
,gallery once a week2 but1 for all that1
 ,i  would not give up a ,connecticut   
,valley sunset1 such as last summer     
could  be had for the looking at4 ,not  
,turner1 even1 could paint those level  
shadows1 all interfused with trembling  
light1 that filled the hollows  of the  
hills across the river1 and brought out 
their wavy contour1 and  showed the     
depth and distance of the valley opening

 miles away4 ,could he  throw athwart   
the dark mirror of the sleeping water in
 the gorge1 which  led the imprisoned   
river stealthily to the sea1 the gliding
 snows of the  sails rosy-white that    
stole swan-like from behind the bluffs8 
,could he  bring down the rainbow till  
its hither abutment rested on the centre
 of  the stream in a transparent mist of
 driving rain1 while its keystone was   
lost in the stooping cloud above8 ,art  
is good1 as well as long2 but time  is  
also fleeting1 and1 not being           
millionnaires1 with the luxury of a run 
across the ,atlantic at command1 let us 
make what we can out of what we  have4  
,it is very probable that architecture1 
too1 is a sore subject to  aspiring     
,young ,america1 who turns              
discontentedly from the stucco and      
pine-plank tracery of the new cathedral 
of ,st4 ,arian4 ,but let ,young         
,america go out to the meadows1 and     
discover for himself a group of  young  
elms4 ,there is one ,i know of1 not     

unattainable by very moderate           
pedestrianism from the same seaport     
before alluded to1 where a most         
exquisite arrangement of arches and     
tracery can be seen4 ,six or eight      
elms1 their long bending boughs clothed 
with thick1 clinging leafage1  mingle   
their tops1 forming a sort of vaulted   
roof1 such as at the  intersection of   
nave and transepts occurs in every      
,gothic church which  has no central    
tower4 ,more exquisite curves1 better   
studies for a  healthy-minded and       
original architect1 could hardly be     
found4 ,the  interlacing branches are   
suggestive of tracery-patterns1 not to  
be  outdone even in the flamboyant      
windows of ,york and ,rouen4 ,there is  
no  excuse for the squat1 ugly1 and     
stupid arches one sees in almost every  
attempt at pointed architecture1 when   
the elm-tree springs by every  riverside
 in the land4    ,but it is time to     
conclude our desultory rambles4 ,it     
would be pleasant  to me to recall many 

another of my old haunts1 spots which1  
perhaps1  were never called beautiful   
before now1 and may not be again for    
many a  day4 ,for they all lie in a very
 tame and prosaic country1 nearly level1
  the utmost elevation getting hardly a 
couple of hundred feet above  tidewater 
mark2 a country with less natural beauty
 than belongs to most  ,new ,england    
towns1--bare1 bleak1 rocky1 with stunted
 vegetation and  ungenial soil4 ,yet    
within its limits there are brooks and  
marshes and  copses and                 
woodlands1--rocks over which the wild   
columbine hangs its  fuchsia-like       
pendants1 and dells where nestle the    
earliest and sweetest  of the           
wood-flowerets4    ,and now to come back
 to the miserable sinner4 ,as schoolboy1
 as  bank-clerk1 as teacher1 as worker  
in many ways1 he has unemployed  leisure
 in the hours of daylight1--not so many 
as he should have1  perhaps1 but still  
many hours in the course of the month4  
,shall he go to  the livery-stable1 the 

bowling-alley1 or the billiard-saloon8  
,not being  a saint1 of course he can   
plead no high-toned sense of need of    
physical  culture1 to warrant these     
indulgences4 ,he goes because he likes  
it1 gets  enjoyment1 exercise1 rest for 
a mind tasked to the full with the day's
  work4 ,this he ought to have2 and if  
butting little ivory balls about or     
propelling big wooden ones will give it 
him1 let him have it1 if so be  that it 
cannot be got otherwise4 ,there is no   
contamination in the cue or  the        
ten-pin2 but there is in the habits and 
associations of the places  where they  
are found4 ,let us not be maw-wormish   
about it1 but tell the  truth as it is4 
,the quasi-gambling principle upon which
 all such places  are conducted         
stimulates the love of hazard and makes 
way for the  betting propensity to      
become full-blown4 ,of course1 one can  
bet1 if one  have money2 two lumps of   
sugar and a few flies will enable a man 
to lose  the fortune of the             

,rothschilds1 if he will4 ,that is not  
the question4  ,the billiard-saloons do 
educate men for the gambling-house1     
simply  because they cannot go to them  
without either losing their money or    
winning their games4 ,beside that1 the  
gaseous1 dusty1 confined1 and           
tobacco-scented air of those places is  
not to be compared with our free1  open1
 out-doors hills and meadows1 for any   
hygienic purposes4    ,but1 argument    
apart1 there is a sad ,new ,england     
story1 so often repeated  as to be      
almost wearisome1 were it not so sad4   
,it is of the fresh1  frank1            
honest-hearted boy1 who may be seen     
behind many a bank-counter4  ,at first1 
so active1 trustworthy1 and             
trusted1--yet with the constant         
temptation of unemployed time and       
energies demanding supply of action4    
,little by little these are             
supplied1--supplied by the              
billiard-table  and its concomitants4   
,it is the same story1--first1 rumors1  

then  equivocation1 then exposure4      
,perhaps a petty sum is all2 but1 to the
  austere justice of banking1 this is as
 bad1 nay1 worse than millions4  ,and   
then a brief paragraph in the newspaper1
 and one more ruined young  man1 sulking
 beside the family-hearthstone1 his     
father's shame1 his  mother's           
unextinguishable sorrow1--a candidate   
for crime1 if he have  power of mind and
 spirit to feel1 or an imbecile         
dependant1 if he have  not4    ,now     
preaching1 whether lay or clerical1 will
 not do much to prevent  this1          
especially if it be pitched 7as it      
commonly is7 upon too high a  key4      
,preventing means1 or used to mean1 when
 words had a meaning1  getting          
beforehand with anything4 ,and if young 
,homespun have from the  outset         
something he likes better1 he will not  
take to the ivory balls in  pleasant    
weather1 and in rainy weather will be   
apt to prefer even quite  a stupid book 
to the board of green cloth4 ,therefore1

 boys1 go1--and  girls1 too1 for that   
matter1--on flower and moss hunts6--and 
ye1 dear  middle-aged people1 send them1
 and go also upon the same6 ,find       
something  that will tempt you into the 
woods1--something neither berries nor   
sassafras1--something which cannot be   
eaten or sold1 but which will  simply   
give you a sense and a love of beauty4  
,these pages have been  written to show 
that it lies at your very doors1--that  
nothing but stout  boots1 an old coat or
 jacket1 and an observant eye1 is       
needed4 ,when you  come to be saints1 or
 even to be men1 there will be plenty of
 active  work to do1 if so be that you  
will only do it4 ,then1 in careful      
regard  to your bodies1 you may have    
hard-trotting 7not fast-trotting7       
horses1  pickerel-backed boats1 and a   
billiard-room over the stable1--if your 
canonization seem to require it4 ,but   
the saint1 if he be true saint1  needs  
no such care4 ,he will get work enough1 
hard1 physical work1 if  only in        

trotting up and down the steep stairs of
 tenant-houses1 to keep  his digestion  
in tolerable order4 ,it is only your    
pseudo-saint1  who cuddles himself for  
the pulpit and the platform1 and keeps  
the  safety-valve down with midnight    
sittings while rosining up the  furnaces
 with strong coffee1 that will come to  
grief by collapse of  flues4 ,if a man1 
whether sinner or saint1 will run races 
for the honor  of being the fastest boat
 in the river of popular favor1 he must 
take  the consequences4    ,but for the 
poor1 benighted1 heathen sinner1        
desiring enjoyment that  shall be       
honest1 cheap1 satisfying1 and          
attainable1 ,i say1 in the full  faith  
of the creed of ,nemophily1--,get into  
the woods6 ,no matter what  you expect  
to find there1--go and see what you can 
find4 ,don't walk for  constitutionals1 
without an object at the end or on the  
way4 ,keep your  feet well shod and your
 eyes open4 ,bring home all the flowers 
and pretty  wood-growths you can1 and   

you may find that you have been         
entertaining  angels unawares4 ,find out
 about them all you can yourself1 and   
then 7in  spite of a previous tirade    
against botany1 be it said7 go to       
,,bigelow',s  ,,plants ,,of ,,boston and
 learn more4          ,,substance ,,and 
,,shadow4      ,a fatiguing journey up  
six long1 winding flights of            
smoothly-waxed  stairs carried me to the
 door of the room ,i occupied in the    
,place ----4  ,but no matter for the    
name of the ,place2 no one1 ,i am       
confident1 will  visit ,paris for the   
express purpose of satisfying himself   
that ,i am to  be depended upon1 and    
that there is a house of so many stones 
in the  ,place ,maubert4 ,here ,i lived1
 au premier au dessous du soleil1 in the
  enjoyment of no end of fresh air1     
especially in winter1 and a brilliant   
prospect up and down the street and over
 the roofs of the houses across  the    
way1 which reached from the ,pantheon on
 the one side1 to the peaked  roofs and 

factory-like chimneys of the ,tuileries 
on the other1 the dome  of the ,htel des
 ,invalides occupying the centre of the 
picture4 ,i was  studying painting at   
that time1--learning to paint the       
much-admired  landscapes and            
figure-pieces which ,i produce with so  
much ease now and  dispose of with so   
little1--and1 as a general thing1 was   
busy1 7though ,i  had my fits of        
abstraction1 like other men of genius1  
during which ,i did  nothing but lie on 
my bed and smoke pipes over ,french     
novels1 or join  parties of pleasure    
into the country or within the          
barriers17 through  the day1 and often  
till late in the evening1 in the atelier
 of one or  another of the most renowned
 artists of the city4    ,at the head of
 the last flight of stairs in this house
 was a narrow  passage-way in which ,i  
was always obliged to stop and recover  
my breath1  after finishing the one     
hundred and thirty-nine steps that led  
to  my paradise1 before ,i could get my 

key into its lock2 and into this        
passage-way opened two doors1 one of    
which1 of course1 belonged to my  room1 
and the other to some one's else4 ,but  
who this some one else was ,i  was      
unable to find out4 ,was it--and how    
convenient a word is a in  such a       
case6--male or female8 ,i was persuaded 
it must be a woman1 and as  a woman ,i  
always used to think of her and speak of
 her1 to myself1--and  ,i thought and   
spoke of her often enough4 ,of course1  
,i could have settled  the question at  
once by knocking at her door and asking 
for a match1 but  ,i scorned resorting  
to such weak subterfuges4 ,but how quiet
 she was6  ,occasionally1 when1 contrary
 to my usual custom1 ,i took another nap
  after waking in the morning1 instead  
of going out for exercise and a  glimpse
 of early ,paris                        
street-life1--occasionally ,i used to   
hear her  moving about on the other side
 of the thin partition which separated  
our rooms1 as stealthily as though she  

feared she might disturb me4 ,she  would
 light her charcoal-stove1 and perhaps  
glide softly by my door and  down       
stairs1 to return soon with the paper of
 coffee1 the1 bit of bread1  and the egg
 or two which were to serve her for     
breakfast1 and now and  then she would  
sing to herself1 but so gently that ,i  
never could hear  the words of her song1
 nor scarcely the air4 ,an evil spirit  
put gimlets  into my head1 but ,i shook 
them out like so much powder1 and       
resolved to  be honorable1 if ,i was an 
artist4 ,i found1 however1 that my      
curiosity  was an abominable nuisance1  
that my morning walks were almost       
entirely  neglected1 and that ,i could  
not bear to leave my room until ,i had  
heard  her go out and lock her door     
behind her4 ,every day1 after her       
departure1  ,i resolved that she should 
not go out again without being seen by  
me1  and every time ,i attempted to     
follow her in such a way as to escape   
detection ,i lost sight of her4 ,i      

nearly fell into the street as ,i       
attempted to reach far enough out of my 
window to see her as she came  out at   
the street-door4    ,at last1 one       
morning1 when it happened1 that1 just as
 ,i had finished  dressing myself and   
was ready to go out1 she opened her door
 and ran  down stairs without closing it
 behind her1 carried away by my         
curiosity1  ,i stepped out into the     
narrow passage-way and looked into her  
sanctuary4  ,the room was a smaller one 
than mine1--but how much neater6 ,the   
muslin  curtains in her window were as  
white as snow2 her wardrobe1 which hung 
against the wall1 was protected from the
 dust by a linen cloth2 the  floor shone
 like a mirror4 ,her canary hung in the 
window1 and greeted me  with a perfect  
whirlwind of roulades as ,i stepped into
 the room4 ,her  fire was burning       
briskly under a pot of water1 which was 
just coming  to the boiling-point1 and  
singing as gayly and almost as loudly as
 her  bird4 ,over the back of a chair   

was thrown the work she had been busied 
with2 and on the bed1 almost hid by the 
curtains1 was a pair of the  prettiest  
little blue garters ,i ever saw1 even in
 ,paris1--span-new they  were1 and had  
evidently been bought no longer ago than
 the evening  before1--and some other   
articles of feminine apparel1 which ,i  
will not  attempt to describe4 ,i looked
 into her glass1 ,i really believe1 with
 the  hope of finding there a faint     
reflection of her face and figure4 ,she 
must have looked into it but a minute   
before going out4 ,a book1 like  a      
,testament1 lay on the table4 ,i knew ,i
 should find her name on the  fly-leaf1 
and was just on the point of satisfying 
myself with regard to  that particular  
when ,i heard her feet upon the stairs2 
and1 with a start  which nearly carried 
away the curtains of her bed1 ,i rushed 
from her  room into my own4    ,how my  
heart beat1 after ,i had gently closed  
my door and was sitting  on the side of 
my bed1 listening to the movements in   

the next room6 ,it  didn't seem to me as
 though ,i had been guilty of a high    
misdemeanor1  and yet1 though ,i had    
been prepared for her return1 ,i was as 
much  discomposed as though ,i had been 
caught peeping4    ,so far from being   
satisfied with this resolution of my    
doubts with  regard to the sex of my    
neighbor1 ,i now found myself more      
uneasy and  curious than before4 ,was   
she young and pretty and good8 and what 
did she  do8 and what was her name8 ,my 
thoughts were perpetually running up    
those  six flights and stopping baffled 
at her close-shut door4 ,i drew  ideal  
portraits of her1 and introduced them   
into all my pictures as  pertinaciously 
as ,rubens did his wives1 and would     
often finish out an  accidental face in 
a study of rocks1 much to my            
instructor's surprise  and my           
fellow-students' amusement4 ,it was very
 remarkable1 however1  that all these   
fancy sketches bore a striking          
resemblance to another  acquaintance of 

mine1 who will shortly be introduced1   
and in whom1 until  ,i moved into my now
 room1 ,i had been exclusively          
interested1--so much  so1 in fact1      
that----,but ,i will not anticipate4    
,most of my days were spent on the      
opposite side of the ,seine2 and1 as  ,i
 crossed that river1 by the ,pont       
,royal1 at about five o'clock1 every    
evening1 on my way to the ,laiterie1 at 
which ,i usually took what ,i  called my
 dinner1 ,i always stopped to buy a     
bunch of flowers1 of violets  in their  
season1 of a charming little            
flower-girl1 who had her stand1 on  the 
,quai ,voltaire1 and who1 by the time my
 turn to be served came1 had  usually   
disposed of nearly her whole stock4     
,every one who looked at her  bought of 
her4 ,she possessed something that was  
more attractive even  than her beauty2  
though ,i question1 if1 without her     
glossy brown hair1  her soft1 dark eyes1
 her glorious complexion1 her round1    
dimpled cheek  and chin1 her gentle     

winning smile1 and her exquisite taste  
in dress--,i  question1 if1 without all 
these1 her quiet1 modest demeanor and   
unaffected simplicity and propriety     
would have attracted quite as much      
attention as they always did4    ,i had 
not bought many bouquets of ,thrse      
before she began to recognize  me as ,i 
came up1 and to greet me with a smile   
and a ,bon jour1  ,monsieur1 sweeter in 
tone and accent than any ,i had ever    
heard before4  ,what a voice hers was6  
,its tones were like those of a silver  
bell2 and ,i  found that she always had 
my bunch of violets or heliotrope ready 
for me  by the time ,i reached her4     
,my frugal meal over1 ,i was in the     
habit of visiting a neighboring  caf1   
where ,i read the papers1 drank my      
evening cup of coffee1 and1 as  ,i      
smoked my cigar or pipe and twirled my  
posies in my fingers or held  them to my
 nose1 would wonder who she was who sold
 them to me1 if she  ever thought of    
those who bought them of her1 and if she

 distinguished  me above her other      
customers4 ,it seemed to me1 that1 if   
she had the same  angelic smile and     
happy greeting for them as she always   
bestowed upon  me1 they must one and all
 be her slaves2 and yet ,i couldn't     
decide  whether ,i really loved her or  
was only touched by a passing fancy for 
her4    ,i looked forward1 however1     
through the day1 to my interview with   
her  with a great deal of impatience1   
and found myself making short cuts  in  
the long walk which led me to her4 ,i   
used to arrange1 on my way1  well-turned
 sentences with which to please her1 and
 by which ,i expected  to startle her   
into some intimation of her feelings    
toward me4 ,i was  angry that she was   
obliged to stand in so public a place1  
exposed to the  gaze and remarks of all 
who chose to stop and buy of her4 ,in   
fine1 ,i  was jealous1 or rather was    
piqued1 that she should receive all     
others  exactly as she received me1 and 
almost flattered myself that necessity  

forced her to meet them with the same   
sweet smile inclination led her to      
bestow on me4    ,this was the state of 
affairs at the time ,i moved into my new
 lodgings1  before referred to1 in the  
,place ,maubert1 and ,i was suffering   
these  mental torments for ,thrse's     
sake1 when the appearance1 or rather the
  non-appearance1 of my mysterious      
neighbor aggravated and complicated the 
symptoms and converted my slow fever    
into an intermittent4 ,i had called  my 
fair unknown ,hermine2--the pronoun she1
 as it applied equally to  every        
individual of the female sex1 and in the
 ,french language to many  things       
besides1 soon became insufficient1 and  
,i took the liberty of  calling her     
,hermine4 ,i was so ashamed of my       
foolish passion1 that ,i  could not make
 up my mind even to question the porter 
at the door with  regard to her1 nor to 
consult any of my better initiated      
acquaintances  as to the proper course  
to be pursued1 but lived out a wretched 

succession of days and nights of        
feverish anxiety and expectation1--of   
what ,i knew not4    ,i was on my way   
over the ,pont ,royal1 one evening1 at  
my usual hour1  and was just coming in  
sight of my bewitching flower-merchant1 
when  a sudden1 and1 as ,i believed1 a  
happy thought occurred to me1 and ,i    
resolved to put it into instant         
execution4 ,i am sure ,i blushed and    
stammered wofully as ,i asked for two   
bunches of flowers instead of my  usual 
one1 and ,i was confident1 that1 as she 
handed them to me without a  word1 but  
with such a look1 ,thrse's brow was     
shaded by something more  than the dark 
bands of her brown hair or the edge of  
her becoming cap1  and that her lip     
quivered rather with a suppressed sigh  
than with her  usual happy smile4 ,i    
didn't stop to speak with her that      
night1 but  hurried away towards my     
room1 conscious--for ,i did not dare to 
look  behind me1 or ,i am sure ,i should
 have relinquished my design--that her  

large1 sorrowful eyes were full of the  
tears she had kept back while ,i  had   
stood before her4    ,i reached my room 
as soon as possible1 and1 after assuring
 myself that  my neighbor was still     
absent1 carefully inserted my second    
nosegay  into her keyhole1 and rushed   
from the house as though ,i had         
committed  burglary4    ,i was very     
young then1 very romantic1 and wholly   
wanting in assurance4  ,i must have     
been1 or ,i should never have regarded  
it as a crime1 not  against myself1 but 
others1 that ,i was making my days      
miserable and my  nights sleepless on   
account of two young girls1 one of whom 
,i had never  seen1 and the other of    
whom was merely a flower-merchant4      
,when ,i clambered up to my room late   
that night1 the flowers were no  longer 
where ,i had put them4 ,i had been      
torturing myself all the evening  with  
the thought that ,hermine might have    
felt offended1 and that ,i  should find 
them torn in pieces and thrown down at  

my door1 or that she  would be waiting  
for me with a severe reprimand for my   
boldness and  impertinence4 ,but ,i     
could find no trace of them1 and went to
 sleep1  soothed by the conviction that 
they had been carefully put by in a     
glass  of water1 or were occupying a    
place on her pillow by the side of her  
dainty cheek4 ,i feared to meet ,thrse's
 sorrowful face again the next  night1  
and was troubled so much by the thought 
of it through the day1  that ,i fairly  
deserted her that evening and bought my 
two bouquets  elsewhere4 ,with one of   
these1 which ,i had taken care should be
 of a  finer quality than before1 ,i    
repeated my experiment of the preceding 
night and with the same gratifying      
result4 ,but the day after1  forgetting1
 until it was too late1 that ,i had     
given ,thrse fair cause  to be seriously
 angry with me1 habit carried me to my  
old resort again1  though ,i had fully  
determined to reach home by another way1
 and to  patronize1 for the future1 my  

new bouquetire1 who was not only old    
and ugly1 but of the masculine gender4  
,habit--and perhaps wish had  something 
to do with it--was too strong1 however1 
and ,i found myself  turning down the   
,quai ,voltaire at the customary hour   
the next evening4    ,much to my        
surprise1 and somewhat to my            
mortification1 ,thrse greeted  me with  
her old sunny smile4 ,her ,bon jour1    
,monsieur1 was as cordial  as ever2 and 
it even seemed to me--and that didn't in
 the least tend to  compose me--that her
 eyes sparkled with an archness which ,i
 had never  seen in them before1 and    
that her voice had in it a tinge of     
malice1 as  she held out to me two of   
her finest bunches1 saying1--    ,est-ce
 que1 ,monsieur en desire deux encore ce
 soir8    ,i was very angry with her for
 being in such good-humor1 and believe  
,i  was anything but aimable or polite  
with her4 ,why did she not look  hurt or
 offended and reproach me for my        
desertion1 instead of almost  disarming 

my senseless anger by her gentleness8   
,it seems that ,monsieur forgets his old
 friends1 sometimes1 she  continued1 as 
,i took the flowers she had been holding
 towards me1 and  was fumbling in my    
pocket for the change4    ,forget6 ,i   
stammered2 for the temper ,i found her  
in had so completely  ruffled mine1 that
 ,i was hardly sufficiently master of   
myself to be able  to answer her at     
all1--what makes you think ,i forget8   
,am ,i not here  this evening1 as usual8
    ,this evening1 yes1--but last night 
you did not come2 or were you here  too 
late to find me8 ,i----she paused1 and1 
with her color a little  heightened1 as 
though she had narrowly escaped making a
 disclosure1  looked another            
way1--,monsieur must have bought his    
flowers elsewhere1  yesterday4 ,were    
they as fresh and sweet as mine8    ,but
 how do you know1 ,mademoiselle1--,i    
answered1 after ,i had given  her a long
 opportunity to add what ,i had hoped   
would follow that  long-drawn-out ,i2   

7she was going to say1 ,i was sure1 that
 she had  waited for me to come as long 
as was possible27--,how do you know that
 ,i  bought my flowers elsewhere1 or    
that ,i bought any8 ,and where can ,i   
find  finer ones than you give me8      
,monsieur is kind enough to say so1 she 
returned4 ,can you excuse my            
indiscretion8 ,i only thought1 that1 as 
you never miss carrying a bunch  of     
flowers home with you1 and sometimes    
two1 she added1 with a wicked  twinkle  
in the corner of her mouth1 you must    
have found some better  than mine1 last 
night4 ,but ,monsieur will1 of course1  
act his own  pleasure4    ,thrse had    
never appeared to me more charming than 
at that moment4 ,i  wondered afterwards 
how ,i had been able to tear myself away
 from her1  and was almost angry that ,i
 had not thrown down my second bunch1   
had not  vowed to her that ,i would     
never desert her again1 and had not     
confessed  that the pain ,i had suffered
 from my folly had more than equalled   

hers1  since ,i was never so happy as   
when ,i could be near and see her and   
hear  the music of her voice4    ,and   
this was my life1 and these the pains ,i
 used to suffer4 ,two tender  passions  
held alternate possession of my fickle  
heart1 and a constant  struggle was     
always waging between them for the      
mastery2 and the  impossibility of      
deciding in favor of either of them1    
which to accept  and which deny1        
prevented my yielding to either4 ,thrse1
 however1 whose  real presence ,i could 
enjoy1 upon whose delicious beauty ,i   
could feast  my eyes whenever the fancy 
seized me1 and whose voice ,i could     
hear1  even when separated from her1    
possessed a fearful advantage over her  
invisible rival1 who maintained her     
position in my interest only by         
preserving her incognito and maintaining
 my curiosity strained to the  highest  
pitch4 ,my acquaintance with ,thrse     
became daily more intimate1  and was    
soon upon such a footing as seemed to   

authorize my asking her  to accompany me
 on a ,sunday jaunt to one of the       
thousand resorts of  ,parisian          
pleasure-seekers just beyond the        
barriers of the city4    ,she           
accepted1--of course she did1--and the  
matter was finally arranged  one        
,saturday evening for the next day4 ,i  
was to find her at the house of  her    
aunt1 who lived in my neighborhood1 and 
who1 to my surprise1 turned  out to be  
the proprietress of the ,laiterie ,i    
frequented4 ,here we were to  breakfast1
 and afterwards take the proper         
conveyance to our destination1  which ,i
 think was ,belleville4    ,sunday came1
 and with it came such weather as the   
gods seldom vouchsafe  to mortals who   
contemplate visiting the country4 ,it   
was one of those  cloudless days in     
early ,june when all ,nature1 and       
yourself more  than anything else in    
,nature1 seems as though it had been    
taking  ,champagne1--not too warm1 but  
sufficiently so to make out-of-door life

 a  luxury1 and an excursion like ours  
into the country almost a necessity4    
,thrse1 like everything else in ,nature 
on that summer's day1 was more          
gloriously beautiful1 in my eyes1 than  
ever before4 ,hermine's ideal  beauty1  
and with it her chance of success1 faded
 out from my memory like  an unfixed    
photograph1 before this charming        
reality1 and ,thrse ruled  supreme4 ,she
 had dressed herself with a taste which 
surprised even  me1 who had so long     
regarded her as irreproachable1 as she  
was  unapproachable1 in that particular2
 and the joy she felt at the thought  of
 a whole day's ramble in the country    
showed itself in every feature  of her  
countenance1 in every movement1 and in  
every tone of her voice4  ,there didn't 
live a prouder or a happier man than ,i 
was1 as we made our  way arm in arm     
towards the ,place ,dauphine1 where we  
were to take the  omnibus for           
,belleville4    ,we ran wild in the     
woods and fields all that day1 we fed   

the fishes in  the ponds1 we made       
ourselves dizzy on the seesaws and      
merry-go-rounds1  and at last1 fairly   
tired out1 and feeling desperately and  
most  unromantically hungry1 turned into
 the neatest and least frequented       
restaurant we could find and ordered our
 dinner4    ,thrse was no gourmande1    
luckily4 ,her tastes were simple and    
harmonized admirably with my slender    
means4 ,we dined1 however1 like         
princes1 and drank a bottle of ,chteau  
,margeaux1 instead of the vin           
ordinaire1 which was my ordinary wine4  
,thrse's gayety had fairly  inoculated  
me1 and1 forgetting my usual reserve1 we
 laughed and chatted  as noisily as a   
couple of children4    ,upon my word1   
cried ,i1 as ,i caught sight of a       
bouquet of flowers in  the room we      
occupied1 what a couple of ninnies we   
have been6 ,we have  forgotten to get   
any flowers to carry home with us4 ,but 
,i suppose you  see too many of them    
through the week to care for them       

to-day4    ,oh1 no6 replied ,thrse4 ,i  
could never see too much of flowers2    
and besides1 you must have a bunch to   
carry home to ,mademoiselle this        
evening4 ,she will never forgive you1 if
 you neglect her to-day4 ,and what      
would she think or say1 if she knew     
where you are now and whom you are      
with8 ,she is very fond of              
flowers1--when they come from you1 ,i   
mean4    ,well1 ,i stammered1 and my    
face burned like fire4 ,what            
,mademoiselle8  ,and what makes you     
think that ,i make presents of the      
flowers ,i get of  you8 ,i only get them
 for myself1 and as an excuse for seeing
 you4    ,ah6 menteur6 cried ,thrse1    
shaking her finger at me with mock      
solemnity4 ,fi donc6 c'est vilain4 ,do  
you think ,i have no eyes1 or  that you 
have none that speak as plainly as your 
mouth1 and more truly8  ,you try to     
deceive me1 ,monsieur6 and the little   
hypocrite assumed so  injured and       
heart-broken an expression and tone1    

that ,i was almost wild  with remorse1  
and cursed the wretch who had placed the
 flowers in the  room1 and myself for   
having noticed them4 ,i should have been
 hurried  into ,i don't know what       
expressions of attachment to her and of 
indifference towards every other        
individual of her sex1 if she had not   
prevented me by the following startling 
remark4    ,i know to whom you give the 
flowers you value so much as coming from
  me4 ,it is to your next-door neighbor1
 who pleases you more than ,i do1  and  
whom you have known1 perhaps1 longer    
than you have me4 ,why didn't  you      
invite her1 and not me1 to come with you
 to-day8 ,it would have been  better4   
,ah6 cried ,i1 do you know her8 ,she    
told you about it8 ,why doesn't she  let
 me see her8 ,is her name ,hermine8     
,and almost before ,i knew it1 ,i had   
told her the whole story of my  passion 
for my invisible neighbor4    ,thrse    
pouted1 and turned her back4 ,she put   
her handkerchief to her  face1 and      

called me all sorts of hard names for   
having brought her there  to listen to  
the confession of my love for another2  
and turned a deaf  ear1 or ,i thought   
she did1 to my expostulations and my    
protestations  that ,i didn't really    
care for ,hermine1--that it was only a  
passing  fancy1 more curiosity than     
anything else1--and that ,i really loved
 no  one but her4    ,she began to      
relent at last1 though ,i was half      
inclined to be sorry1 for  her          
resentment became her even better than  
her good-humor4    ,well1 she said1     
finally1 it is too tiresome to quarrel1 
and ,i will  forgive2 for1 although you 
say you have never seen ,hermine1--7that
 is a  prettier name than ,thrse1 isn't 
it87--she has1 perhaps1 seen you1 and   
may really love you --    ,but ,i don't 
love her1 ,i cried4 ,i don't want to    
love her4 ,i don't want  to see her4    
,her name isn't ,hermine1 ,i know4 ,i   
will never think of her  again1 nor make
 a fool of myself by putting nose-gays  

into her keyhole1  if you will only not 
look so sober any more4    ,she will be 
very sorry for that1 ,i am sure1        
returned ,thrse1 with a  smile ,i could 
not translate2 and she will miss them   
very much4 ,i judge  her by myself4 ,i  
always find a bunch at my door when ,i  
go home at  night--    ,you6 ,you find  
flowers at your door8 ,and who puts them
 there8 ,and ,i  took my turn at being  
provoked4 ,you haven't used me fairly1  
,thrse1 to  make me understand all this 
time that you cared for no one but me4  
,there  is some one1 then1 whom you love
 and who loves you8    ,oh1 yes6 she    
answered1 her whole face beaming with a 
pleasure which  made me feel like       
committing a murder or a suicide2 oh1   
yes6 ,i believe  he does2 he has almost 
told me so4 ,and--and ,i know that ,i   
do4 ,but he is  so droll6 ,he is my     
next-door neighbor1 and has never seen  
me yet1 and  has never tried to1 ,i     
believe2 but he leaves a bunch of       
flowers at my  door every evening1 and  

calls me--,hermine4    ,hermine6 ,you   
,hermine8 ,hurrah6    ,and before she   
could prevent me1 ,i held her in my     
arms1 and1 in spite  of her struggles1  
had kissed her forehead1 eyes1 hair1    
nose1 and lips  before she could        
extricate herself1 and then went round  
the room in a  wild dance of perfect joy
 and relief4    ,i knew ,i could love no
 one else1 ,thrse-,hermine1 or          
,hermine-,thrse6 ,i  knew there must be 
some good and sufficient reason for the 
unaccountable  attraction my neighbor   
was exercising over me4 ,why didn't you 
tell me  sooner1 mchante8 ,i suppose you
 never would have done so at all1 if we 
had not come out here to-day4 ,suppose  
,i had not asked you to come with  me8  
,wouldn't you have asked me8 she        
answered1 with so much winning grace    
and in such a pleading tone that ,i     
found myself obliged to repeat the      
operation of a few lines above4         
,wouldn't you have asked me8 ,i don't   
know what ,i should have done1 she      

continued1 sadly and thoughtfully4  ,oh1
 yes6 she exclaimed1 jumping up and     
clapping her hands1 while her  whole    
face was radiant with triumph4 ,oh1 yes6
 then ,i should have been  ,hermine1 and
 you would have asked her4    ,two      
happier young people than ,thrse and    
myself never1 ,i am confident1  returned
 by rail from a day's excursion in the  
country4 ,our happy faces1  our rapid   
talking1 and our devotion to each other1
 which we took no  pains to conceal1    
attracted the attention of all about    
us1--and ,i heard  one father of a      
family1 who was returning to ,paris with
 a half score of  cross1 tired1 and     
crying children1 whisper to his wife1 as
 he pointed  towards us1--,that is a    
couple in their honey-moon1 or else     
lovers2 how  happy they are6    ,and    
that is the way in which ,i stumbled    
into wedlock4 ,how many others1  in     
their pursuit of what has seemed to them
 the substance1 have failed  to         
discover1 perhaps too late1 that they   

were following a flitting               
shadow1--while ,i1 favored mortal1 in my
 chase of a dream1 stumbled upon  the   
greatest real good of my whole life6    
99       99       99       99       99  
,,through ,,the ,,fields ,,to ,,saint   
,,peter',s4        ,there's a by-road to
 ,saint ,peter's4 ,first you swing      
across the ,tiber    ,in a ferry-boat   
that floats you in a minute from the    
crowd2    ,then through high-hedged     
lanes you saunter2 then by fields and   
sunny      pastures2    ,and beyond1 the
 wondrous dome uprises like a golden    
cloud4      ,and this morning1--,easter 
morning1--while the streets were        
thronged      with people1    ,and all  
,rome moved toward the ,apostle's temple
 by the usual way1    ,i strolled by the
 fields and hedges1--stopping now to    
view the      landscape1    ,now to     
sketch the lazy cattle in the ,april    
grass that lay4      ,galaxies of       
buttercups and daisies ran along the    
meadows1--    ,rosy flushes of red      

clover1--blossoming shrubs and sprouting
 vines2    ,overhead the larks were     
singing1 heeding not the bells          
a-ringing1--    ,little knew they of the
 ,pasqua1 or the proud ,saint ,peter's  
shrines4      ,contadini1 men and women1
 in their very best apparel1            
,trooping one behind another1 chatted   
all along the roads2    ,boys were      
pitching quoits and coppers2 old men in 
the sun were basking3    ,in the festive
 smile of ,heaven all laid aside their  
weary loads4      ,underneath an ancient
 portal1 soon ,i passed into the city2  
,entered ,san ,pietro's ,square1 now    
thronged with upward crowding forms2    
,past the ,cardinals' gilded coaches1   
and the gorgeous scarlet lackeys1       
,and the flashing files of soldiers1 and
 black priests in gloomy swarms4        
,all were moving to the temple4 ,push   
aside the ponderous curtain6    ,lo6 the
 glorious heights of marble1 melting in 
the golden dome1    ,where the grand    
mosaic pictures1 veiled in warm and     

misty softness1    ,swim in faith's     
religious trances1--high above all      
heights of ,rome4      ,grand as        
,pergolesi chantings1 lovely as a dream 
of ,titian1    ,tones and tints and     
chastened splendors wreathed and grouped
 in sweet      accord2    ,while through
 nave and transept pealing1 soar and    
sink the choral      voices1    ,telling
 of the death and glorious resurrection 
of the ,lord4      ,but1 ah1 fatal      
degradation for this temple of the      
nations6    ,for the soul is never      
lifted by the accord of sights and      
sound2    ,but yon priest in gold and   
satin1 murmuring with his ghostly       
,latin1    ,drags it from its natural   
flights1 and trails its plumage on the  
ground4      ,and to-day the ,pope is   
heading his whole army of gay puppets1  
,and the great machinery round us moving
 with an extra show3    ,genuflexions1  
censers1 mitres1 mystic motions1        
candle-lighters1    ,and the juggling   
show of relics to the crowd that gapes  

below1      ,till at last they show the 
,pontiff1 a lay figure stuffed and      
tinselled2    ,under canopy and         
fan-plumes he is borne in splendor proud
    ,to a show-box of the temple        
overlooking the ,piazza2    ,there he   
gives his benediction to the            
long-expectant crowd4      ,benediction6
 while the people1 blighted1 cursed by  
superstition1    ,steeped in ignorance  
and darkness1 taxed and starved1 looks  
up and begs    ,for a little light and  
freedom1 for a little law and justice1--
    ,that at least the cup so bitter it 
may drain not to the dregs6             
,benediction6 while old error keeps     
alive a nameless terror6                
,benediction6 while the poison at each  
pore is entering deep1    ,and the sap  
is slowly withered1 and the wormy fruit 
is gathered1    ,and a vampire sucks the
 life out while the soul is fanned      
asleep6      ,oh1 the splendor gluts the
 senses1 while the spirit pines and     
dwindles6    ,mother ,church is but a   

dry-nurse1 singing while her infant     
moans2    ,while anon a cake or rattle  
gives a little half-oblivion1    ,and   
the sweetness and the glitter mingle    
with her drowsy tones4      ,but the    
infant moans and tosses with a nameless 
want and anguish1    ,while1 with       
coarse1 unmeaning bushings1 louder sings
 the hireling      nurse1--    ,knows no
 better1 in her dull and superannuated  
blindness1--    ,tries no potion1--seeks
 no nurture1--but consents to worse and 
worse4      ,if such be thy ultimation1 
,church of infinite pretension1--       
,such within thy chosen garden be the   
flowers and fruits you bear1--    ,oh1  
give me the book of ,nature1 open wide  
to every creature1    ,and the          
unconsecrated thoughts that spring like 
daisies everywhere6      ,send me to the
 woods and waters1--to the studio1--to  
the market6    ,give me simple          
conversation1 books1 arts1 sports1 and  
friends sincere6    ,let no priest be   
e'er my tutor6 on my brow no label      

written6    ,coin or passport to        
salvation1 rather none1 than beg it     
here6      ,give me air1 and not a      
prison1--love for ,heart1 and light for 
,reason6    ,let me walk no slave or    
bigot1--,god's untrammelled1 fearless   
child6    ,yield me rights each soul is 
born to1--rights not given and not      
taken1--    ,free to ,cardinals and     
,princes and ,campagna shepherds wild4  
,like these ,roman fountains gushing    
clear and sweet in open spaces1         
,where the poorest beggar stoops to     
drink1 and none can say him nay1--      
,let the ,law1 the ,truth1 be common1   
free to man and child and woman1        
,living waters for the souls that now in
 sickness waste away6      ,therefore   
are these fields far sweeter than yon   
temple of ,saint ,peter2    ,through    
this grander dome of azure ,god looks   
down and blesses all2    ,in these      
fields the birds sing clearer1 to the   
,eternal ,heart are nearer1    ,than the
 sad monastic chants that yonder on my  

ears did fall4      ,never smiled       
,christ's holy ,vicar on the heretic and
 sinner    ,as this sun--true type of   
,godhead--smiles o'er all the peopled   
land6    ,sweeter smells this blowing   
clover than the perfume of the censer1  
,and the touch of ,spring is kinder than
 the ,pontiff's jewelled hand6          
,,the ,,experience ,,of ,,samuel        
,,absalom1 ,,filibuster4    ,concluded4 
,some time after the departure of the   
riflemen1 a detail of eight or nine  men
 from our company was ordered off       
towards the lake shore1 and soon        
afterward another smaller one to ,potos1
 a little village four or five  miles to
 the northward of ,rivas1 bearing orders
 to ,captain ,finney's  rangers1 who had
 gone to scout in that direction4 ,the  
rest of us ate  supper1 and then lay    
listening for the boom of the little    
field-piece1  which should tell us that 
the rifles had met the enemy4 ,but the  
extraordinary toils and watchings of the
 last fortnight were too  overpowering1 

and we were all soon buried in dreamless
 sleep4    ,in an hour or two ,i was    
awakened by horses' feet clattering over
 the  stony pavement of the portera1 or 
gateway to the square courtyard1  in one
 of whose surrounding corridors we      
usually slept1--on blankets1  cow-hides1
 or hard tiles1 according as each man   
was able to furnish  himself4 ,it was   
the party returning from their scout on 
the lake4 ,they  unsaddled and fed their
 animals in the yard1 and afterward set 
about  frying plantains and fresh stolen
 pork for supper4 ,as they talked over  
their provant in the room behind me1 ,i 
caught most of their adventure1  without
 the discomfort of rising or asking     
questions4 ,near the lake they  had     
chased and captured some natives1 whose 
behavior was suspicious and  showed no  
good-will toward the ,americans4 ,the   
officer of the party1  thinking them    
spies1 had carried them part of the way 
to ,rivas to be  examined2 but1         
fortunately1 perhaps1 for the captives1 

he afterwards  relented and set them at 
liberty4 ,they also talked of a small   
boy who  had peeped out of the bushes as
 they rode by1 and shouted to them1     
,quieren for ,walker8 7,are you for     
,walker87 and then adding               
energetically1 ,yo no quiero filibustero
 god-damn6 darted away out  of sight1   
before any one1 who was so minded1 could
 have shot the little  rebel4    ,be    
sure1 said one of the men at supper1--a 
noted croaker and tried  coward1 against
 whom ,i bear a private grudge1--the    
boys have learned  this from the old    
greasers2 and we are going to have all  
the people of  ,nicaragua to fight4     
,later in the night1 the other party1   
which had been sent to ,potos1 came  in 
with panting mules1 excited             
countenances1 and one of their number   
stained with blood from a wound on his  
thigh4 ,they told us1 that1  failing to 
find ,captain ,finney at ,potos1 they   
had stretched their  orders1 and gone   
forward to ,obraja1 unaware that it was 

occupied by the  enemy4 ,at the entrance
 of the village1 whilst riding on in    
complete  darkness1 they were challenged
 suddenly in ,spanish4 ,taken by        
surprise1  they replied in ,english1    
and1 before they could turn their       
animals1 were  stunned with the glare   
and crash of a musket-volley1 a few feet
 ahead of  them4 ,they recoiled1 and    
fled with such precipitation that one of
 the  riders was tossed over his horse's
 head2--however1 scrambling to his      
feet1 he found sense and good-luck to   
remount2 and the whole party made  good 
their flight to ,rivas1 with no further 
damage than two slight                  
flesh-wounds1--one on the trooper1 and  
one on his mule4    ,the excitement upon
 this arrival soon subsided1 and ,i had 
again fallen  into unconsciousness1 when
 a rough shake of the shoulder aroused  
me1 and  the voice of the old sergeant  
dinned in my ear1--,come here6 saddle   
up6  saddle up6 ,you are detailed for   
,obraja4 ,in a few moments ,i was       

mounted1  and1 with two others of the   
company1 rode out of the gateway into   
the  street4 ,there we found awaiting us
 a fourth horseman1 charged with  orders
 for the riflemen at ,obraja1 and whom  
it was our duty to accompany  as guard4 
,after clearing ,rivas1 we clattered    
over the road at a fast pace1 rousing   
all the dogs at the haciendas as we     
passed1 and leaving them baying  behind 
us1 until we came to where the ,potos   
road forked off to the  right2          
thenceforward1 fearing an ambush1 we    
rode slowly and with great  caution1    
stopping often to dismount and          
reconnoitre moon-lit fields  beyond the 
roadside hedges4 ,at length1 after      
passing a picket of our  riflemen1 we   
came to a large adobe house directly on 
the roadside1  where we found the main  
body of the detachment encamped and     
sleeping4  ,the house stood something   
under half a mile from ,obraja1 and was 
the  residence of that friendly alcalde 
who on the approach of the enemy  had   

removed with his family to ,rivas1 and  
placed ,general ,walker on his  guard4  
,as we rode into the yard1 we had some  
ado to keep our horses  from treading on
 the sleeping soldiers1 who lay         
scattered all round  the building1 and  
also in its open corridor fronting      
toward ,obraja4  ,dismounting here1 our 
courier went into the house to          
communicate with  ,colonel ,o',neal1 the
 commander of the detachment1--leaving  
it to us  either to tie up1 and lie     
where we were until morning1 or pass    
farther  up the road1 where ,captain    
,finney's rangers were stationed4 ,i    
chose to  go forward and hear the       
rangers' story1 who1 we were told1 had  
had a  slight brush with the enemy in   
the beginning of the night4    ,after   
riding near quarter of a mile1 ,i came  
to another adobe building  on the       
roadside1 occupied by a small party1 and
 forming ,colonel ,o',neal's  advanced  
post1 at the distance of four hundred   
yards or more from  ,obraja4 ,here they 

told me that ,captain ,finney's company1
 whilst riding  into ,obraja early in   
the night1 had been hotly fired upon1   
and ,captain  ,finney himself was       
brought off struck in the breast1       
wounded mortally4  ,the riflemen had as 
yet made no attack1 but awaited         
daylight4 ,the number  of the enemy was 
not known2 though rumor placed it       
between one thousand  and fifteen       
hundred4 ,whatever it was1 they were    
apprehensive2 for  throughout the night 
we heard them barricading the town with 
great hurry  and clatter2 and it gave us
 sad discomfort to think that in the    
morning  there would be these walls to  
climb before our men could get at them4 
,it  was the occasion of much bitter    
cursing that there should be delay until
  this was accomplished1 and of one     
man's protesting seriously that it  was1
 and had been1 ,general ,walker's       
endeavor1 not to whip the greasers1  but
 to get as many ,americans killed in    
,nicaragua as possible1--he  nourishing 

secret and implacable hatred against    
them for some cause4  ,however1 ,i think
 this judgment weak and improbable1     
though plausible  enough from some      
points of view4    ,during the night    
there was some firing between our party 
and the enemy  from under cover in      
front1 with some few wounds1 and one man
 on our  side shot through the hat1--who
 thereupon1 pulling off the injured     
head-piece1 and looking at it gravely1  
declared he would always  thenceforward 
wear his hat with a high crown2 for1    
said he1 had this one  been half an inch
 lower1 the bullet must have struck the 
head3--which  drollery1 in consideration
 of the circumstances1 was allowed to   
pass for  an exceeding good stroke4     
,we passed a disturbed and rather uneasy
 night1 fearful all the time of  being  
cut off or overwhelmed4 ,but morning    
breaking at length1 a party  of riflemen
 came up from ,colonel ,o',neal's camp  
below1 and affairs were  immediately    
changed for the offensive4 ,the riflemen

 moved forward  against the town1 whilst
 the rangers were posted at several     
points along  the road to guard against 
surprise from the bushes4 ,among these  
latter  ,i took my stand4 ,the squad    
which went forward could not have       
numbered  above sixty men1 and was armed
 with ,mississippi rifles only1--without
  wheel-piece of any kind1 or even      
bayonets4 ,i took them for a party of   
skirmishers1 sent ahead to clear the    
way2 yet they were not followed or      
supported by any additional force that  
,i saw then or afterwards4    ,as they  
passed up the road1 ,i observed that the
 most listless and dead  amongst them   
were at length stirred up and thoroughly
 awake1--though not  with enthusiasm or 
martial impatience4 ,some seemed uneasy 
and careworn1  and glanced about        
nervously2 had their countenances not   
been unalterably  yellow1 they would    
certainly have been white4 ,one fellow  
near the  rear was trembling sadly1 and 
carried his rifle in an unreasonable    

manner1--promising aimless discharges1  
and1 perhaps1 dodgings into the  bushes4
 ,but this one was excusable1 and ,i may
 have slandered him2 for  ague had      
shaken the life almost out of him so    
often that shaking  was become natural1 
and little else could be expected of    
him2 and1  furthermore1 a pale face or  
unsteady joints are not always          
weathercock  to a fainting spirit4 ,in  
some constitutions these may come from  
other  emotions than fear2 and it often 
happens that your most lamentable       
shaker will stand you longer at the     
breach than the man of iron nerve1  with
 a white liver4 ,i have seen such4      
,however1 the majority of these  were   
resolute and dangerous-looking men1 and1
 though without any marks  of inordinate
 zeal1 seemed willing enough to fight   
whatever appeared4  ,they held their    
rifles in the hand cocked1 and1 as they 
advanced1 threw  their eyes sharply into
 the bushes on either side the          
road1--having  received orders to shoot 

the first greaser that showed himself1  
without  awaiting the word4    ,in a few
 moments after1 the party having        
disappeared behind a turn of  the road1 
we suddenly heard the cracking of their 
rifles1 mingled  with the deeper crash  
of more numerous musketry2 and it was a 
vivid  sensation1 new to me1 that some  
of those bullets were surely finding    
billets in the bodies of men4 ,this     
seemed an encounter with a force  of the
 enemy outside of the town2 and directly
 we thought1 from the  movement of the  
noise1 that our riflemen were driving   
them in4 ,then  there was a louder and  
more rapid volleying of musketry1 which 
completely drowned the rifles1 and      
seemed to tell us that our men were     
come in sight of the barricades4 ,this  
lasted but a moment1 when it was        
succeeded by a scattered fire of fewer  
guns1 and finally by irregular  volleys4
 ,we knew that our men had fallen back2 
and we had not once  thought it would be
 otherwise4 ,indeed1 it had been a      

rarely preposterous  enemy who should   
allow himself to be driven from behind a
 rampart by  that handful of dispirited1
 men4    ,whilst things were on this    
foot1 the courier of last night came up 
with  his guard1 having been sent by    
,colonel ,o',neal1 who had remained at  
the  alcalde's house below1 to get news 
of the attacking party4 ,as ,i was      
still under his orders1 ,i joined him1  
and rode forward towards the            
combatants1--not without sundry         
misgivings1 known to most men who are   
about to enter a fray for the first     
time1--or the twentieth time1  perhaps1 
if the truth were confessed4 ,we found  
the riflemen drawn up in  the road1     
protected by the raised side-bank and   
cactus-hedge from an  enemy concealed   
amongst some trees and bushes1 a little 
distance to the  right of the road in   
front4 ,above the trees1 within         
pistol-shot1 was  visible the red roof  
of a church which stood on the plaza of 
,obraja1  where were barricaded1 as they

 said1 over a thousand greaser soldiers4
  ,all other sign of the town than this 
one roof was shut in from view by  the  
abundant foliage which embowered it4 ,as
 we approached the riflemen1  we        
dismounted and led our horses1 fearing  
to attract a shower from the  enemy1 who
 lay in the bushes firing irregularly4  
,the officer of the  party told us to   
report to ,colonel ,o',neal that he had 
advanced within  sight of the plaza1    
and1 finding it strongly barricaded1 and
 swarming  with greasers1 he held it    
folly to assail it with fifty men1 and  
so had  retreated4 ,he mentioned some   
loss1--very small for the noise that had
  been made1--of which ,i remember the  
name of one ,lieutenant ,webster1 shot  
through the head4 ,he charged us to ask 
,colonel ,o',neal's permission to  fall 
back on the adobe where we had passed   
the night1 as the enemy  appeared to be 
moving around his right1 and he was     
fearful of being  surrounded in the open
 road4 ,but1 directly after1 seeing the 

enemy were  in earnest to cut him off1  
he concluded to fall back on the house  
upon  his own responsibility1 and did   
so1 and with the adobe walls around  him
 probably felt secure enough against    
such an enemy4    ,we returned to the   
lower camp1 and delivered our report to 
a  boyish-looking person1 in            
unepauletted red flannel shirt1 but who 
was  no other than ,colonel ,o',neal1   
the officer in command4 ,he was popular 
amongst his men1 and reputed a brave and
 energetic officer4 ,he probably        
mistrusted from the first that his force
 was too small2 and hence the  delay in 
the attack1 and the dispatch of the     
little party of riflemen  merely to     
satisfy ,general ,walker4 ,be that as it
 may1 upon hearing our  report1 he      
recalled the advanced party1 and        
immediately sent off  to ,rivas to say  
he could do nothing against the town    
without a  reinforcement4    ,in the    
mean time those of the men who were off 
guard lay about under  the trees and ate

 oranges1 with which the alcalde's yard 
was stocked  plentifully1 whilst such   
wounded as had been brought in were laid
 on the  floor of the house1 and their  
wounds probed by the surgeon2 whereupon1
  being but young soldiers mostly1 there
 arose loud outcries and dismal         
bellowings4 ,for my own part1 ,i set    
about comforting my mule1 who had  been 
under saddle since leaving ,rivas4 ,i   
unsaddled him1 brought him an  armful of
 tortilla corn from the alcalde's       
kitchen-loft1 some water  from the well1
 and left him making merry as if he had 
nothing worse  ahead of him4    ,some   
time after mid-day the rest of our      
company came out from ,rivas1 and  we   
immediately had orders to ride up the   
road and fire upon the enemy's          
outpost1--which1 as the riflemen had    
been withdrawn and our advanced  picket 
was now nearly half a mile from the     
town1 promised to be a  service of some 
danger4 ,therefore one of our           
commissioned officers1  afterwards      

dismissed the service for cowardice1 was
 here seized suddenly  with the         
colic1--so badly1 that he was unable to 
ride with us at his  post4 ,other sick  
men being left in quarters at ,rivas1 we
 counted now but  little over twenty    
men1--armed with ,mississippi or        
,sharpe's rifles1 and  some of us with  
the revolvers we had brought from       
,california4 ,after  passing the adobe  
building1 garrisoned last night1 but now
 empty1 we  advanced with great care1   
our leader taking often the precaution  
to  dismount and peer with bared head   
over the cactus-hedge which crowned  the
 right-hand bank of the road and shut us
 in on that side completely4  ,at every 
turn of the road he repeated his        
reconnoissance1 so that our  advance was
 very slow1 giving a watchful enemy     
almost time to place an  ambush1 if they
 had none ready prepared4 ,it was as    
sweet a place for a  trap as greaser's  
heart could wish4 ,on our right was the 
impenetrable  cactus-hedge1 with an open

 space beyond1 terminated at the        
distance of  a few yards by a wood or   
plantain-patch4 ,on the left was another
 wood1  matted with tangled underbrush  
and vines which no horseman could       
penetrate4 ,on either side half a dozen 
men might couch in ambush and  shoot us 
down in perfect security4    ,we passed 
on1 however1 without disturbance1 or    
sight of an enemy1 until  we came nearly
 to the edge of the town and saw the    
glistening roof of  the church appear   
above the foliage1--where sat sundry    
carrion-loving  buzzards1 elbowing each 
other1 shuffling to and fro with        
outspread  wings1 and chuckling1        
doubtless1 over the promise of glorious 
times4  ,as we go on1 suddenly heads    
appear over the bushes less than a      
hundred  yards in front1 and we hear the
 vindictive whistle of ,mini-balls above
  us4 ,our leader1 calling upon us to   
fire1 began himself to blaze away       
rapidly with his ,colt's revolver4 ,we  
huddled forward1 with little care  for  

order1 and delivered some dozen         
,mississippi and ,sharpe's rifles4      
,there were nervous men in the crowd2   
for1 after the discharge1 dust  was     
flying from the road within thirty feet 
of us4 ,however1 some aimed  higher2 and
 when we looked again1 the heads had    
disappeared4 ,one bold  greaser stepped 
out into the road and sent his          
,mini-ball singing  several yards above 
us1 then darted back quickly1 before any
 of us  could have him4 ,we waited a    
moment to see others1 but they seemed to
 be  satisfied2--and we were            
satisfied1--with prospect of a swarm    
bursting  out on us from the town2 so1  
sinking spurs into our weary animals1 we
  made good pace back to the camp1--not 
without an alarm that a troop of        
well-mounted lancers was behind us4     
,in the course of the afternoon1        
,general ,henningsen arrived1 bringing a
  fine brass howitzer1 and a small      
reinforcement of infantry--as those     
armed with rifled muskets and bayonets  

were called--and artillerymen2  and1    
after some hours' rest1 he ordered a    
fresh attempt with the  howitzer1       
supported by somewhere near two hundred 
men4 ,this party was  received with so  
fierce a fire at the barricade that they
 shrank back1  leaving the howitzer     
behind in the road1--so that the enemy  
were on the  point of capturing it1 when
 a brave artilleryman touched off the   
piece1  loaded with grape-shot1 almost  
in their faces1 and1 strewing the  earth
 with dead1 sent the others flying back 
to the barricade4 ,this  artilleryman   
told me that an old officer amongst the 
enemy stood his  ground alone after the 
discharge1 and swore manfully at the    
fugitives1  but they were panic-struck  
and took no heed2 and it was his        
assertion1  that1 had a small part of   
the riflemen rallied and charged at this
 time1  they might have gone over the   
barricade without difficulty or         
hindrance4  ,as it was1 the howitzer was
 scarcely brought off1 and the attack   

failed  ingloriously4 ,whether this     
story of the artilleryman were true or  
false1  we heard in other ways1 by      
general report1 that the riflemen had   
behaved  badly1 and quailed as the      
filibusters had scarcely done before2   
though1  after all1 it will seem        
unreasonable to blame these two hundred 
or less1  disease-worn and spiritless   
men1 for not whipping ten hundred out of
 a  barricaded town4 ,it may be worth   
saying here1 that1 seeing things in     
,nicaragua from a common soldier's      
befogged view-point1 and having only    
general rumor1 or the tales of privates 
like myself1 for parts of an  engagement
 where ,i was not present1 ,i may easily
 make mistakes in  the numbers1 and     
otherwise do ,walker and his officers1  
or the enemy1  injustice4 ,yet ,i may be
 excused1 since ,i am not attempting a  
history  of the war1 but merely some    
account of my own experience1 passive   
and  active4    ,late in the evening our
 company assisted to carry some wounded 

to ,rivas4  ,amongst them was ,captain  
,finney1 mentioned before as the first  
man  struck by the enemy4 ,he seemed to 
be a brave and uncommonly considerate   
officer1 and whilst being carried in on 
a chair1 suffering with his             
death-wound1 he showed concern for his  
supporters1 and insisted on  having them
 relieved upon the smallest sign of     
fatigue4 ,he was taken to  the quarters 
of a friend1 where he died a few days   
afterward4 ,the other  wounded were     
carried to the hospital1 and1 finding no
 one there to take  charge of them1 we  
left them to themselves1 lying or       
sitting upon the  floor1 dismal and     
uncared-for enough4    ,after dark we   
were again in the saddle and riding out 
to ,obraja1 in  charge of a commissary's
 party1 with provisions for the         
detachment of  foot4 ,but after getting 
a little way from the town1 we were     
overtaken by  an order from ,general    
,walker1 stopping the provisions1 and   
directing us  to ride on and recall the 

detachment to ,rivas2 he having changed 
his  mind about dislodging the enemy at 
this tardy hour4 ,we reached the camp   
some hours into the night1 and1 after a 
little delay1 calling in the  pickets1  
and securing some native women who lived
 in the vicinity1 to  prevent their     
carrying word of our movement to the    
enemy1 the detachment  commenced its    
retrograde march1--leaving the enemy    
victorious1 and free  to go where they  
wished4    ,i remember1 several times on
 this march1 when the detachment had    
made  some temporary halt1 seeing a     
grim-faced dog1 of the terrier species1 
trot along the line to the front of the 
column1 where we rangers stood1  and    
then1 satisfied seemingly that all was  
well ordered1 turn himself  round and   
trot back to the rear again4    ,he did 
this with such a look and air1 that it  
struck me he felt himself  in some way  
responsible for our party4 ,he was1     
indeed1 if the tales  current about him 
were true1 the most remarkable character

 in all that  very variegated           
conglomerate of characters which made up
 the filibuster  army4 ,he had appeared 
in the camp long before1 coming1 some   
said1 from  the ,costa ,ricans1 with    
whom he became disgusted on account of  
their bad  behavior in battle on several
 occasions when he was there to see4    
,after  this desertion1 if it were thus1
 he followed the ,americans faithfully1 
through good and bad fortune1 retreat or
 victory2 always going into  battle with
 them1--where he actually seemed to     
enjoy himself1--trotting  about amidst  
the whewing of bullets1 the uptossing of
 turf1 and the  outcries of wounded men1
 with calm heart1 and tail              
erect1--envied by  the bravest even4 ,on
 an occasion when ,general ,walker was  
attacking the  ,costa-,ricans in ,rivas1
 the dog entered the plaza ahead of the 
rest1  and1 finding there one of his own
 species1 he forthwith seized him1 and  
shook him1 and put him to flight        
howling1--giving an omen so favorable1  

that the greasers were driven out of the
 town with ease by the others4  ,even   
his every-day life was sublime1 and     
elevated above the habit of  vulgar     
dogs4 ,he allowed no man to think       
himself his master1 or attach  him      
individually by liberal feeding or kind 
treatment1 but quartered                
indiscriminately amongst the foot1      
sometimes with one company1 sometimes   
with another1--taking food from whoever 
gave it1 but showing little  gratitude1 
and despising caresses or attempts at   
familiarity4 ,he seemed1  indeed1 to    
consider himself one amongst the        
rest1--one and somewhat1 as  they say2  
and his sole apparent tie with his human
 friends seemed to  be the delight which
 he took in seeing them kill or killed4 
,with this  penchant1 it was said1 he   
never missed a battle1 and went out with
  every detachment that left the camp to
 see that none should escape him        
unaware4--,but enough of him1--strange  
dog1 or devil4    ,the withdrawal from  

,obraja was opposed1 so rumor said1 by  
,henningsen and  other officers2 and it 
certainly had a most depressing effect  
upon the  men1 whilst it elated the     
enemy correspondingly1 giving them a    
degree of  confidence which they had    
never attained to before4 ,it was agreed
 on  all hands1 by all critics whom ,i  
heard1 that1 having once begun this     
attempt1 ,general ,walker should have   
carried it through successfully1  even  
if it required his whole force4         
,however1 as only part of the  enemy's  
force was on land1 the other part being 
supposed to be  still aboard the        
steamers or on the island1 ,general     
,walker  possibly feared an attack on   
,rivas1 should he send out a very large 
detachment1--remembering1 too vividly1 a
 former blunder1 when he left  ,granada 
with all his army to attack the enemy at
 ,masaya1 and the enemy1  making a      
dtour1 came upon his camp in ,granada1  
and destroyed  baggage1 ammunition1 and 
all it contained4    ,the next day the  

foot lay quiet in ,rivas1 and had rest4 
,the rangers1  however1 were in the     
saddle almost continuously1 and1 what   
with  foraging1 broken sleep1 and       
expeditions by day and night1 those of  
us  who had garrisoned ,virgin ,bay were
 become worried nearly past grumbling4  
,on this day our own company rode out to
 ,obraja1 to visit the enemy's  picket  
again1 and afterwards to ,san ,jorge on 
the lake1 to guard the  transportation  
of a row-boat thence to ,rivas4 ,the    
boat was one of those  borrowed from the
 vessels in ,san ,juan harbor for the   
purpose of retaking  the steamers1 and  
had been rowed up to ,san ,jorge1 and   
was now removed to  ,rivas1 to prevent  
its seizure by the enemy1--the garrison 
at ,virgin  ,bay having burnt the brig1 
and marched to ,rivas1 when the enemy   
first  appeared on land at ,obraja4 ,so 
that the whole ,american force 7except  
the crew of the little schooner in which
 ,general ,walker and his fifty         
original followers first came to        

,nicaragua1 and which was lying at this 
time in ,san ,juan harbor7 was now      
concentrated at ,rivas2 the enemy being 
eight or nine miles behind them at      
,obraja1 or on the lake with the two    
steamers4 ,as we rode through the town  
of ,san ,jorge1 the place seemed  almost
 deserted1 and ,i remember lingering    
with others to haversack some  bunches  
of yellow plantains which hung in an    
empty house on the plaza4  ,the delay   
may have come near being fatal to us1   
for we heard afterwards  that we had    
been gone but a little while1 when a    
troop of the enemy's  horse rode into   
the place1 reconnoitred1 and returned in
 the direction  in which they came4     
,their reconnoissance in ,san ,jorge was
 explained soon  afterwards4    ,some   
time in the last half of the night      
following1 ,i was detailed1 along  with 
a considerable detachment from two      
mounted companies1 to ride on a  scout  
toward ,obraja4 ,on the outward ride ,i 
was but half-awake1 and  my recollection

 of our course is confused3 however1 ,i 
think it was  somewhere between ,potos  
and ,obraja that we came to a halt1 and 
,i was  aroused by some excitement in   
the party4 ,pickets were hastily posted 
in several directions1 whilst the       
officers gathered about some natives    
awakened from a neighboring hut1 and    
seemed to question them earnestly4  ,we 
soon heard that the enemy were on the   
road moving from ,obraja1 and  that a   
large force had a little while before   
passed this place going  eastward4 ,the 
natives1 prone to exaggeration1 declared
 that this force  had been an hour in   
passing1--with baggage1 eight pieces of 
cannon  mounted on ox-carts1 several    
hundred pressed native ,nicaraguans1    
tied  and guarded to prevent their      
running away1 and a long train of women 
to  nurse the wounded4 ,the             
,chamorristas1 it seemed1 had been      
around pressing  all the native men they
 could find into service against the    
,americans2  and whilst we were here1   

two1 who had been hiding all day in the 
bushes  to avoid the conscription1 came 
out and asked us to take them with us to
  ,rivas1--they preferring1 if forced to
 take sides1 to join el valiente        
,walker4    ,this is the stripe of most 
,central ,american soldiers4 ,the lower 
classes  are lazy and cowardly1 little  
concerned about politics1 and must      
generally be impressed1 let the cause of
 war be what it may4 ,and ,i am         
persuaded1 that1 since ,general ,walker 
never harnessed them into his  service1 
as their own chiefs were doing          
perpetually1 but let them swing  in     
their hammocks and eat their plantains1 
7provided they lived beyond  his        
forage-ground17 un-called-for1 they were
 so far well satisfied with  his        
government4 ,however1 their sympathy1   
supposing he had it1 were worth  little 
to him2 since it takes a stronger       
impulsion than this to put them  in     
motion to do anything1--a strong pulling
 by the nose1 indeed1--such  as their   

native rulers know how to apply4--,but  
this is speculative1 and  neither here  
nor there4    ,after getting all the    
information concerning the enemy that   
was to be  had from these people1 the   
detachment returned to ,rivas at a fast 
trot1  with the two friendly natives    
mounted behind1 on such stronger animals
  as were able to carry double burden4  
,we all supposed1 that1 now the  enemy  
were again out of cover and on the open 
road1 or1 leastwise1 in  the confusion  
of a new camp1 there would be an        
immediate attack on them4  ,but ,general
 ,walker followed his own head2 and1    
after making our report1  we saw no     
stir1 and heard nothing until           
morning1--when it was known that  the   
enemy were all moved into ,san ,jorge1  
with only some two miles' space  between
 us4 ,this place1 being on the lake1 was
 more convenient for  provisions1 which 
were easily brought by the steamers from
 the island of  ,ometepec and the towns 
and haciendas along the shore1--and the 

enemy  had gained boldness to go there  
by our repulse at ,obraja3 or it may be 
that the force at ,obraja had come down 
from ,granada by land1 and so only      
continued their march to ,san           
,jorge1--though the rumor was1 that they
 had  landed from the lake1 as ,i have  
said4    ,but be that as it may1 time   
was given them to barricade at ,san     
,jorge1  till near the middle of the    
forenoon1 and then ,generals ,henningsen
 and  ,sanders were sent out with some  
four hundred riflemen and infantry to   
drive them into the lake1 which lay some
 few hundred yards behind them4  ,during
 the first part of the attack1 our      
company remained in ,rivas1  listening  
anxiously to the uproar at ,san         
,jorge1--every volley fired by  the     
combatants being borne distinctly to us 
by the east wind4 ,for some  time there 
was a continuous rattle of musketry1    
with rapid detonations  of              
deeper-mouthed cannon1--at each roar    
shaking our suspended  hearts1--for we  

knew that our own men were using small  
arms only4 ,after  a while this abated1 
grew irregular1 and almost ceased4 ,an  
order then  came for our company to     
mount and join the combatants4 ,we      
galloped down  the broad and almost     
level highway which passes between      
,rivas and  ,san ,jorge1 bordered a     
great part of its length1 on either     
side1 by  cactus-hedges1 broken at      
various intervals by the grassy by-lanes
 that  run out to the neighboring       
haciendas or parallel roads4 ,at places 
where there is a slight elevation1 the  
bottom of the road is worn  several feet
 below the level by the carts which ply 
between ,rivas and  the lake4 ,opposite 
one of these1 where the banks sloped at 
a sharp  angle1 we came upon ,general   
,henningsen and a detachment of         
musketeers  resting on the right bank of
 the road1 and halted beside them4 ,the 
men  were sitting under the shade of an 
adobe1 refreshing themselves with       
oranges2 and those in the nearest rank  

were close enough to hand us  fruit and 
keep their seats on the grass4 ,five or 
six hundred yards up  the road1 the     
large church which stood on the plaza of
 ,san ,jorge1 with  the door facing us1 
and a low wall of white stone running   
squarely from  its side across to the   
right1 ended the vista between banks of 
green  foliage4 ,our view stretched     
across the plaza1 which seemed to be    
empty  and unbarricaded2 and ,i remember
 the painted door of the church beyond1 
the red-tiled roof1 the low1 flanking   
wall of white stone1 all dazily         
trembling in the unsteady atmosphere    
radiating from the heated  road1--whilst
 a cloud of white smoke was sailing     
slowly away to the  west4 ,it was a hot 
and tranquil scene4 ,but ,i always think
 of it with the  same secret disgust    
with which the shipwrecked traveller    
looks upon the  placid ocean the day    
after the angry storm has passed over   
it2 for it  was here ,i first saw the   
cruelty of a round shot4    ,when we    

came to a halt1 there seemed to be a    
lull in the struggle1 and  no enemy was 
anywhere visible1 nor was firing heard  
from any direction4  ,the infantry1     
though within range of small arms from  
the town1 were  concealed by the bushes1
 and the enemy were scarcely aware of   
their  presence4 ,but when our company  
came galloping up the road1 in full     
view1  their attention was aroused1 and 
we had scarcely checked our animals and 
exchanged a few words with the          
foot-soldiers1 when a column of smoke   
shot up from the wall in front4--,now   
look out6 exclaimed some one4  ,i       
looked1 but saw nothing to follow1 and  
had turned my attention  elsewhere1 when
 ,i heard a hissing noise1 as of        
something rushing swiftly  past1 and at 
the same time turf is thrown into the   
air1 the horses start  aside in         
affright1 and outcries of pain and      
terror assail the ear4  ,after a        
confused moment1 ,i saw that the shot   
had struck in the line of  infantry a   

few feet on our right4 ,one man1 the    
drummer of the party1 was  running about
 in the fluttered crowd with his hand   
hanging by a shred1  crying1 ,cut it    
off6 cut it off6 ,d--your souls1 why    
don't some of you  cut it off8 ,another 
lay struggling on the ground1 with the  
fleshy part  of his thighs torn abruptly
 off1 calling upon some one for ,god's  
sake to  take him away from there4 ,but 
the dismallest sight was a bloody shape1
  with face to the ground1 fingers      
clutching the grass with aimless        
eagerness1 and shivering silently with  
an invisible wound4 ,twisting           
convulsively1 it rolled down into the   
road under our horses' feet1--and  there
 this human form1 which some call       
godlike1 writhed and floundered  like a 
severed worm1 and disguised itself in   
blood and dust4    ,but it is dangerous 
to look long upon the wounded2 an old   
soldier never  rests his eye there2 it  
is the greatest mistake of the raw one2 
and it  was well enough for some of us  

that our attention was timely drawn away
  by alarm of another shot from the     
town4 ,we spurred our horses up the     
bank on the left2 the foot-soldiers     
rushed behind the adobe2 and this  time 
the shot passed harmlessly down the     
road4 ,before another1 ,general         
,henningsen had ordered us all to move  
forward and get to cover4 ,the foot     
stopped in the right branch of a by-lane
 which crossed the road a little  way   
ahead4 ,the rangers moved into the same 
lane1--but on the left1 and  divided by 
the highway from the foot4 ,here we were
 entirely hidden from  the town by a    
belt of small trees and bushes4         
,nevertheless1 the  enemy's round shot1 
tearing through the trees1 still        
pursued1 and the  ,mini-balls1 though   
thrown from smooth-bored guns1 sang     
above and far  beyond us4 ,at this      
place1 as near as ,i recollect1 above a 
dozen men were  killed and              
wounded1--most of them by that first    
round shot4    ,our company shortly     

after was separated1 and placed1 for the
 most part1  as videttes1 at various    
points near the town4 ,some hours after 
our  arrival1 7which time was spent by  
the filibusters in drinking spirits  and
 resting from the late unsuccessful     
assault1--by the enemy in  barricading  
their position1 and drinking spirits1   
perhaps1 likewise17  ,general           
,henningsen led an attack with part of  
the foot1--taking several  of us rangers
 along in the capacity of couriers1 to  
ride off to ,rivas at  any important    
turn of the fight and report to ,general
 ,walker4 ,the enemy  had taken position
 about the plaza1 in the church1 and    
behind the  stone wall at its side1     
where they had by this time strengthened
  themselves with barricades4 ,they had 
cannon looking towards every  assailable
 point2 and also on top of the church1  
in the cupola1 they  had mounted a small
 piece1 from which they threw grape     
against our men  advancing on any side4 
,it proved a great source of annoyance  

throughout  the day4 ,their number was  
not certainly known1 at least among the 
ranks1  but was rumored as high as two  
thousand men1--,costa-,ricans1          
,guatemalans1  and ,chamorristas4       
,general ,henningsen moved up by a      
straggling street1 with an adobe here   
and there1 and the intervals filled up  
with fruit-trees1 bushes1 and           
cactus-hedges4 ,grape-shot1 which may be
 the saddest thing1 touching the  body1 
on earth1 made miserable noise above us 
and miserable work among  us2 and we    
couriers had leave to dismount and crawl
 nearer the ground4  ,general           
,henningsen gained respect from us by   
sitting his horse alone4  ,he was a     
soldier1 it is said1 from a boy1 in     
,european wars1--where this  were a     
feeble skirmish2 yet he wore his life   
here1 perhaps1 more  loosely than in    
many a noisier battle4 ,however1 he     
seemed calm and easy  enough1--never    
moving his head1 even slightly1 when the
 shot whizzed  nearest him4 ,general    

,walker1 though a brave man1 and cool in
 battle1  will nevertheless dodge when a
 bullet hisses him fiercely4 ,so would  
almost all his officers or soldiers1    
that ,i had an opportunity to  notice4  
,yet1 after all1 it is a mere trick of  
the nerves1 and only  indicates         
familiarity and long service1 or a deaf 
ear1--and not want of  self-possession  
or strength of heart4 ,the advance at   
length became so  harassing that the    
party halted under cover on the         
roadside1 whilst yet  some distance from
 the plaza1 and from this lodgment the  
couriers were  sent off to report       
progress at ,rivas4    ,my post         
thenceforward was1 with that of others1 
at the head of a lane  not far from the 
town1 where we heard the voices of the  
combatants  and the whistling of balls1 
but could see nothing4 ,after some      
hours'  comparative quiet1 the drums    
began beating a charge again1 and every 
gun  on the ground seemed awakened and  
doing its best4 ,then there was a loud1 

heart-lifted shout1 which rose above the
 din1 and gave us too much joy2  and1 a 
moment after1 ,colonel ,casey1 a        
hard-faced1 one-armed man1 spurred  past
 towards ,rivas1 saying1 as he went1    
that our men were in the  plaza1 the    
greasers were running1 and we had 'em1  
sure as hell6 ,i  recollect some one    
observing1 that it were of no use to    
believe ,colonel  ,casey1 for he was the
 greatest liar in the army of           
,nicaragua4 ,and  shortly after1 the    
firing having ceased1 another officer1  
,baldwin1 ,i  think it was1 came past   
and told us1 with curses of vexation1   
that the  men had been checked1 by      
command1 in the heat of the assault1    
when the  greasers were already         
wavering1--and that the latter1         
recovering1 had  rebarricaded so        
strongly1 that we might now all go back 
to ,rivas and  whistle4    ,however1    
this failure was not the end4 ,towards  
evening1 another  detachment renewed the
 assault1 and the uproar commenced      

again4 ,it  seems1 that1 during the     
whole day1 there was no simultaneous    
attack by  all the detachments4 ,now1 it
 was the infantry who charged1--with the
  riflemen in reserve1 probably to      
prevent a rout1 in case the enemy       
pursued a repulse2 then1 it was the     
riflemen1 with the infantry in  reserve2
 and so alternating through three or    
four charges2--so that  there never     
could have been more than a very        
contemptible force facing  the enemy at 
one time4    ,as it grew late1 the      
wagons began to jolt past1 removing the 
wounded to  ,rivas4 ,some were drunk and
 merry in spite of their wounds2 and    
their  laughter and drunken sport made  
strange concert with the cries and      
curses of the others4 ,i remember one   
man going by on foot1 with a small  cut 
on the brow1 from which blood was       
flowing copiously4 ,he said the  wound  
was a mere scratch1--too slight to have 
sent him out of the fight1  had not the 
blood run down into his eyes and blinded

 him1 preventing his  aim4 ,yet this    
small affair brought his death shortly  
afterwards4 ,the  surgeons at ,rivas    
gave him no care1--not so much as to    
wash his wound1  or have him wash it2   
and the climate is so malignant to      
strangers1 that  the smallest cut1 with 
the best care1 heals only after long    
hesitation4    ,at length night came on1
 and our men drew off1--foiled at every 
attempt1  having sustained great loss1  
and1 apparently1 made little impression 
on  the enemy4 ,they lay on their arms1 
however1 in the outskirts1 expecting  to
 renew the attack during the night2 and1
 to assist at this1 a party of  rangers 
had orders to leave their horses in     
quarters1 and march on foot  to join the
 others4 ,quitting our horses with      
regret1 we walked to ,san  ,jorge1 where
 the foot lay1 awaiting the hour of     
attack4 ,we found them  stomach-qualmed 
with hunger1 weary of fighting1         
thoroughly disheartened1  and provoked  
against their officers4 ,one told how an

 officer1 whose duty  it was to lead the
 charge1 took shelter behind an         
orange-tree no bigger  than his wrist1  
and shouted1 ,go on1 men6 go on6 when he
 should  have been saying1 ,come on6 and
 how another1 become stupid with        
aguardiente1 had tried to force his men 
to a barricade1 when their              
cartridge-boxes were empty1 and their   
unbayonetted arms useless4  ,there      
seemed also to have been slackness among
 the men2 and some  were lamenting1 that
 the ,first ,rifles were not what they  
used to  be2--anciently they only wanted
 to see the greasers2 to-day they were  
found taking to the bushes4 ,they all   
agreed that no great number of the      
enemy had been killed1--whilst the      
filibusters1 they doubted1 must  have   
lost nearly one-third of their men and  
many of their best  officers2--among the
 number ,i recollect ,major ,dusenbury1 
highly praised4    ,there was one       
affair1 however1 over which they crowed 
and took fierce  satisfaction4 ,they    

told it thus3--,a detached party1 of    
about thirty of  them1 were seated on   
the roadside drinking aguardiente1      
preparatory  to advancing4 ,on one side 
was a cactus-hedge1 and a grove of      
plantain  a little in front4 ,whilst    
they sat here deeply absorbed in the    
aguardiente1 a considerable party of the
 enemy got amongst the  plantain-trees1 
and fired a hundred muskets into them at
 the distance of  a few rods4 ,strange  
to say1 the greasers were so nervous at 
finding no  barricade between them1 or  
were such contemptible marksmen1 that   
not  a shot took serious effect2 only   
the demijohn of aguardiente was         
shivered into a thousand pieces1 and the
 liquor ran out into the grass4  ,the   
filibusters jumped up astounded and     
disordered2 but1 seeing so much  good   
liquor running away wastefully into the 
grass1 they grew terrible4  ,it was an  
insult and injury which both men and    
officers appreciated4 ,it  gave every   
man in the troop a personal quarrel with

 the enemy4 ,charge  'em6 shouted the   
captain2 we'll pay the scoundrels for   
the miserable  trick6 ,at full speed    
they swept through a gap in the hedge1  
and rushed  into the plantain-grove     
before the enemy had time to reload4    
,but when  the greasers saw them coming 
on fiercely1 their hearts failed them1  
and1  turning their backs1 they fled    
towards the town4 ,never were           
filibusters  or men-of-war better       
pleased than now6 ,they rattled on      
furiously behind  the nimble greasers4  
,they sent howling death into their     
midst at every  step of the chase4 ,they
 passed bloody forms stretched here and 
there  upon the earth4 ,they followed   
the flying foe even to the edge of  the 
town1 and saw its hostile swarm running 
hither and thither in  alarm4--,alas6   
,general ,william ,walker1 why were you 
not here at this  propitious moment1    
with all your brave spirits1 invincible 
with rum1  behind you8 ,then might you  
have rushed with the fugitives into the 

town1  and hurled the yellow-skinned    
invaders into the lake6 ,then might the 
flag of ,regeneration have waved even at
 this day over the hills and  valleys of
 ,nicaragua1--and the unfortunate author
 of this history have  received a reward
 for his services6--,ay de m6 ,even now1
 reposing in  the shade of the          
palm-tree1 fanned by the orange-scented 
breeze that  blows over the lake1 ,i    
might drink the immortal juice of the   
sugarcane1  called aguardiente1 and     
dream1 and gaze at the cloud-wrapped    
cone of  ,ometepec6--,but ,i must forget
 this4    ,the dead killed in this      
plantain-patch were all that our men    
obtained  sight of4 ,how many fell      
behind the barricades1 where all the    
serious  fighting took place1 it was    
impossible to tell2 though there was no 
reason to think that the enemy1 fighting
 under cover1 had suffered at  all      
proportionably with our men1 or1 indeed1
 had suffered equally1  losing man for  
man1 except that ours were the better   

marksmen4    ,we passed a cold and      
sleepless night1 awaiting the word to   
take up  arms and advance2 but in the   
mean time ,general ,walker had changed  
his intention1 and1 when morning broke1 
the whole force quitted the  outskirts  
and marched back into ,rivas4 ,the      
killed and wounded by  the whole affair 
were reported officially at one hundred1
 or  thereabout1--underrated1 most      
probably1 for effect upon the men4 ,it  
was enough1 however1 considering the    
filibusters had no more than  four      
hundred engaged4 ,amongst them1 though  
not reported1 was that  devil-hearted   
dog which ,i have mentioned heretofore4 
,he fell1 shot  through the head1 whilst
 advancing with the others toward the   
barricade4  ,he was lamented by the     
whole army1--by many superstitiously1   
even1--who  said he had gone through all
 ,walker's hard stresses so far         
untouched1  and his end was prophetic of
 downfall4    ,and it is even true1 that
 from this battle ,general ,walker's    

prospects  clouded rapidly4 ,a          
proclamation1 issued by the             
,costa-,rican government1  promising    
fugitive filibusters free passage to the
 ,united ,states1 found  its way into   
,rivas1 and immediately worked immense  
mischief1 and was1  indeed1 the         
instrument of his overthrow4 ,the men   
had no sooner seen it  than they began  
to leave as fast as they found          
opportunities to escape4  ,guards were  
placed around the town1 and spies in    
every company2 but it  was of no avail2 
and every morning it was rumored through
 the camp that  this or that number had 
got off for ,costa ,rica during the     
night4 ,general  ,walker1 in a speech   
which he made a few days after to infuse
 new spirit1  said that these were the  
cowards1--whose absence was beneficial1 
and  from whom it was well that the army
 should be purged4 ,however1 this was   
exaggerated4 ,it is true1 doubtless1    
that there were many leaving merely     
from fear1 who would have chosen to stay

 with him1 rather than trust  to the    
promises of a people believed to be     
treacherous and  promise-breaking1 and  
whose hatred they had incurred1--had the
 battles  of ,san ,jorge and ,obraja    
been successful4 ,and1 indeed1 the      
filibuster  ranks were not wanting in   
cowards4 ,cowards might be induced to   
come on  a desperate enterprise like    
this1 through misrepresentation by      
,walker's  own agents2 through mere     
thoughtlessness1 or mistake1--not       
knowing what  soldier's metal was in    
them2 or1 with the bayonet of ,hunger   
against  their backs at home1 they might
 be unmindful of any other bayonet on   
the  distant shore of ,nicaragua4 7,it  
should be musket-shot1 however2 for the 
greasers never found heart to use the   
bayonet47 ,and then again1 many1  who1  
when they first reached ,nicaragua1 were
 no cowards1 after a few  months' stay1 
became changed1--by the depressing      
effects of fever1 by  loss of confidence
 in their drunken officers1 and by the  

absence of all  incentive to fight      
stoutly for a leader so unpopular as    
,walker4 ,it was a  common saying1 that 
in this army an old rule was            
reversed1--the veterans  were worse     
fighters than the recruits4 ,the soldier
 was at his best  when he first landed  
upon the ,isthmus1 raw and healthy4     
,after that1 he  rapidly deteriorated1  
losing spirit with every battle1 until  
he became  at last a thoroughbred       
coward4 ,seven or eight greasers to one 
filibuster  was said to be good         
fighting1 at one time2 but now three or 
four to one  was thought to be great    
odds2 and before the game ended1 ,i     
hear1 they  were become equally matched1
 man for man1 almost4 ,but1 whatever    
,general  ,walker said in his speech1   
this class of weak ones were not always 
the  deserters4 ,it required some little
 energy or strength of legs1 with  which
 these were unfurnished1 to go over to  
the enemy at ,san ,jorge1 or  walk down 
to ,costa ,rica2 and the fact was1 that 

from the first many of  the healthiest  
and liveliest men1 whose defection could
 least be borne1  were leaving1--not    
from fear1 mainly1 but because by this  
proclamation  they were offered the     
first opportunity to escape from a      
disagreeable  service to which they     
thought themselves bound by no tie of   
love or  honor4    ,it was now about    
time for a steamer to arrive at ,san    
,juan on the ,pacific  with the         
,california passengers2 and the next    
day1 or the second day1  perhaps1       
succeeding the battle at ,san ,jorge1   
,general ,walker said to  ,general      
,sanders1 in his quiet1 whining         
way1--,general ,sanders1 ,i am  going to
 take two hundred and fifty riflemen and
 the rangers and go down  to ,san ,juan 
to bring up our recruits to ,rivas2 and 
if three thousand  greasers are on the  
,transit road1 ,i intend to go through  
them4  ,accordingly1 the riflemen1 the  
ranger regiment1 and a small party of   
artillerymen with one of the two brass  

howitzers1 met in the plaza1  and set   
out on this expedition at midnight1 with
 ,generals ,walker and  ,sanders both in
 the party4    ,the route of the        
detachment was the one ,i have mentioned
 before as  inland through the forest1  
and striking the ,transit road some     
miles west  of the lake and ,virgin     
,bay4 ,it was firmly believed that we   
should meet  the enemy somewhere on the 
,transit road1--since the hills through 
which  it passed offered many excellent 
barricading-points1 and it would seem a 
matter of great importance to them to   
cut us off from junction with any  fresh
 recruits the steamer might land at ,san
 ,juan4 ,so there was much  preparatory 
drinking amongst the officers1 7yet ,i  
say it not in slander1  for many were   
brave enough for any deed1 and drank    
before battle only  because they drank  
always17--and less amongst the men      
solely because  spirits had become      
scarce around ,rivas1 and dear2 and     
there were very  few1 truly1 who had not

 ceased long since to carry coin in     
their  pockets4 ,the captain of our     
company1 who was an incautious man1 and 
was  frequently drinking more than was  
needful1 on this occasion drank more    
than he was fitted to bear2 and whilst  
the detachment was stopped some  time   
getting the wheel-piece over a hard     
place in the road1 his strong  friend   
,aguardiente brought him to the ground1 
as he sat on his mule near  the front   
with his company1--where he lay in      
eruptive state like a  young toper1 and 
so falling asleep lost his mule1 which  
strayed into the  forest to browse1     
causing him much embarrassment and      
confused search  when the detachment was
 ready to start4 ,being up again1       
however1 the  sleep and stomachic       
alleviation proved beneficial1 and we1  
his soldiers1  followed after him in    
much greater comfort and confidence4    
,such delays by the howitzer1 and a     
wagon transporting spare muskets for    
the expected recruits1 were so frequent1

 that we made but slow progress1  and   
when we emerged from the woods the sun  
was already shining upon  the broad     
,transit road1--,i might have said like 
a glory on the brow of  ,ometepec1 but  
my memory is bad1 and ,i doubt whether  
the fact may not be  that the sun rises 
upon this point from lower down on the  
lake4 ,after  entering the ,transit     
road1 the rangers were sent ahead to    
discover if  there were an enemy in the 
way4 ,our regiment1 as we called it1 now
  together for the first time since ,i  
joined it1 consisted of some  seventy   
men1 divided into three companies1 all  
under command of ,colonel  ,waters1--a  
soldierly-looking man1 and1 moreover1   
brave1 and not without  training in the 
,mexican ,war4 ,some time before the    
regiment had numbered  one hundred1 but 
had become thus reduced by disease and  
the enemy4    ,on this ride ,i remember 
a feeble infusion of that excellent     
spirit  which1 since the days of ,sir   
,walter ,scott1 ought to belong to all  

horse-soldiers1 moss-troopers1 or       
mounted rangers1 but which ,i had       
despaired of ever finding in ,general   
,walker's service4 ,it is true we had   
no bugler1 or standard-bearer1 or piece 
of feather in the troop1 or1  indeed1   
any circumstance of war1 save our       
revolvers and ,sharpe's rifles1  vermin 
and dirty shirts4 ,nevertheless the     
morning was splendid1 with a  fresh     
breeze behind us2 the road was hard and 
smooth1 and rang under  our horses'     
feet2 and withal ,i felt1 that1 if we   
should see a troop  of greaser lancers  
ahead1 in good uniform1 we might run 'em
 down1 and  bullet 'em1 and strip 'em1  
with good romantic spirit1 even4    ,but
 this is a most hollow cheat which ,sir 
,walter ,scott and other  book-men have 
played off on some weak-headed young men
 of our low-minded  generation4 ,there  
is no doubt but a man seated amongst ten
 thousand  cavalry1 who shake the earth 
as they charge1 ought to feel himself   
swell1 as part of an avalanche or mighty

 ,niagara1--as part of the  mightiest   
visible force which feeble man can enter
 or his spirit  commingle with4 ,this   
were no contemptible joy1 which the     
thin-blooded  philosopher might laugh   
at1--better1 indeed1 than most to be    
found here  on this fog-rounded flat of 
ours1 where some few melodies from      
heaven  and countless blasts from hell  
meet1 and make such strange1 unequal    
dissonance4 ,but1 alack6 alack6 it is   
not for the feeble1 or the young        
soldier1 fresh from his plough or his   
yardstick1 his briefs or his  pestle4   
,for how shall we who have all our lives
 been standing guard  against the       
approach of death1 who start            
horror-shaken from the dropping  of a   
tile1 whose small wounds are quickly    
bound up by tender mother or  sister1   
and lamented over1--how shall we feel   
romantic in the midst of a  shower of   
bullets8 ,enough done1 if our vanity or 
sense of duty hold us  there in any     
spirit1 so that we do the needed        

trigger-work1 and not turn  tail and    
disgrace ourselves4 ,even the veteran's 
satisfaction1 since the  laying aside of
 steel armor1 is not much1 to be sure1  
or is gathered  after the battle4 ,there
 is some savage ecstasy1 perhaps1 when  
he sees  his enemy fall1 or when he sees
 his back2 this last1 indeed1 a glorious
  sight for any soldier1--worth rushing 
at the cannon's mouth to look  at1      
almost4 ,but the man1 be he veteran or  
other1 who tells me he found  pleasure  
on the field where the ,mini-balls kill 
afar off1 in cold  blood1--,i know him  
for one of the eccentric1 stupid1 or    
talkers for  purposes of vanity4--,but  
this will suffice4    ,there were three 
places on the road1 amongst the         
,cordillera ridges1  where1 in former   
wars1 a ,costa-,rican force1 flying     
before the  filibusters1 had stopped to 
barricade1 and gathered heart to        
withstand  their pursuers awhile1--long 
enough to bark the surrounding trees    
with  musket-shot1--some of them1       

indeed1 amid their topmost branches2 for
 it  is a greaser-failing to shoot      
inordinately high4 ,each of these sites 
we  approached with caution1 expecting  
to see an enemy there2 but there was    
none1 and we came down safely at length 
to our old shed-camp4 ,here we  halted1 
and made our station1 as it was more    
convenient for pasturage1  whilst the   
foot passed on to ,san ,juan1 two miles 
beyond4    ,the steamer not arriving1 we
 remained at this place several days1   
employed as before1 with the sugar-cane 
and the wood-ticks1 miserable  enough4  
,in the mean time1 the foot at ,san     
,juan1 finding unusual temptation to    
escape from this place1 so much nearer  
the ,costa-,rican line1 were  leaving in
 large parties2 and unwilling service   
was made of the rangers  to intercept   
the fugitives1 by posting them below on 
all the paths  leading through the      
forest to ,costa ,rica4 ,general ,walker
 esteemed these  more faithful1 because 
they had been more considerately        

treated1 better  fed1 allowed greater   
freedom and privilege1--having no drill1
 loose  discipline1 and exemption from  
guard-duty when with the foot2 and1     
above all1 their part of the service    
being healthier1 and1 though more       
fatiguing1 far preferable1 on the whole1
 to the other4 ,one night ,i was        
detailed1 with others1 on this          
disagreeable duty1 and remember it1  for
 other reasons1 as the most wretched    
night of all that ,i passed in          
,nicaragua4 ,our station was on the bank
 of a little wooded stream1 some  miles 
below ,san ,juan4 ,after the guard had  
been posted1 ,i lay down to get  some   
hours' sleep1 which ,i needed1--but was 
no sooner on the ground than  a swarm of
 infinitesimally small creatures1 of the
 tick genus1 whose den  ,i had invaded1 
came over me1 and the rest was merely   
one sensation of  becrawled misery2 so  
that1 notwithstanding great previous    
loss of sleep1  ,i went again           
unrefreshed4 ,i asked an old filibuster 

who lay near me1 how  he could sleep    
through it4 ,oh1 said he1 ,i've got my  
skin dirty and  callous1 and this       
easy-walking species1 that can't bite1  
never troubles  me4 ,on this subject ,i 
read the following in ,mr4 ,irving's    
,history  of ,columbus with some        
emotion3--,nor is the least beautiful   
part of  animated nature in those       
tropical regions the various tribes of  
insects that people every plant1        
displaying brilliant coats-of-mail1     
which sparkle to the eye like precious  
gems4 ,it seems strange to me  that any 
good should be recognized in these      
children of despair1 which  have caused 
me more unhappiness than all the world's
 vermin beside4  ,i think this praise   
must be from ,mr4 ,irving himself1      
looking up the  picturesque4 ,it is not 
possible that ,columbus would have had  
the heart  to flatter and polish up     
these mailed insects1 who1 in his day1  
ate him1  turned him over and over1 and 
harried him more than ever was ,job by  

,satan4    ,next morning1 whilst we were
 roasting green plantains in  the fire  
for breakfast1 a man dressed in ,general
 ,walker's                              
blue-shirt-and-cotton-breeches uniform  
came upon us suddenly  from out of the  
woods beyond the stream4 ,he was        
evidently going  south1--but seeing our 
party1 with startled look1 he turned1   
and  went in the direction of ,san      
,juan4 ,we knew him at once for a       
deserter1  but had no zeal to arrest    
him2 and he had already got past us1    
when  some one ejaculated1--,d--- him1  
why don't he go right8 ,that's not  the 
road to ,costa ,rica6 ,upon this unlucky
 speech1 the officer in  command of the 
detail1 who1 either through inattention 
or design1  was suffering the man to    
pass unquestioned1 ordered him to be    
followed and seized4 ,he was a ,german1 
and either a dull1 heavy  fellow1 or    
else stupefied by his terrible          
misfortune2 and being  unable to say a  
consistent word for himself1 the officer

 sent him  off under guard to ,san      
,juan1 where it was well known what     
,general ,walker  would do with him4    
,some hours after this misadventure1 as 
most of us took it1 our detail  was     
relieved and we rode back to camp4 ,the 
man who had been taken in the  act of   
deserting was condemned to be shot at   
,san ,juan this same evening1  in       
presence of the whole detachment4 ,he   
was led down to the beach1 and  seated  
in a chair at the water's edge4 ,he bore
 himself carelessly1 or  with an absent1
 almost unconscious air1 like one who   
felt himself acting  a part in a dream4 
,a squad of drafted riflemen was brought
 up in front  of him1 and the word was  
given by a sergeant4 ,they made their   
aim false  purposely1 and but one shot  
took effect on the doomed man4 ,he fell 
back  into the water1 where he lay      
struggling1 and stained the waves red   
with  his blood4 ,it was a wrenching    
sight1 too brutal far1 to see the       
sergeant  place his gun against the poor

 wretch's head1 and end his agony6      
,it seemed so abominable to every       
spectator there that ,general ,walker   
should thus seek to enforce ,devil's    
service from his men1 entrapped  mostly 
in the first place1 without wages or    
half maintenance1 and with  no claim    
upon them whatever1 but by a contract   
without consideration  on the one part1 
on the other hard labor to the          
death1--that this  exhibition1 which in 
another army were calculated to         
strengthen just  authority1 here only   
aroused indignation and disgust4 ,this  
very night1  after witnessing the       
deserter's punishment1 eleven men left  
the company  to which he belonged in a  
body1 and were seen no more in          
,nicaragua4 ,and  though for selfish    
reasons ,i was concerned to see the army
 falling to  pieces1 and the load of    
toil and danger increasing upon the rest
 of us1  yet both ,i and the rest       
acknowledged that there was no tie of   
honor or  honesty to keep any man with  

us who wished to escape2 and this deed  
seemed to us without decent sanction4   
,the steamer at length made its         
appearance1 and1 after landing us about 
forty recruits1 departed south with the 
,states passengers for ,panam2  and     
afterwards1 the new soldiers being all  
furnished with muskets1 the  detachment 
started on its return to ,rivas4 ,on the
 way1 it was rumored  amongst the men1  
that a reinforcement to the enemy1      
marching from ,costa  ,rica1 were halted
 at ,virgin ,bay1 and that ,general     
,walker was going to  attack them4 ,we  
hurried over the ,transit road as fast  
as the foot were  able1--,general       
,sanders1 ,i recollect1 riding far in   
advance1 sometimes  out of sight1 and   
thus giving himself to an ambush1 had   
the enemy placed  any4 ,by repute he was
 a man of extreme courage1 and held his 
life so  contemptuously that he would   
scarce hesitate to charge an enemy's    
line  by himself4 ,but ,i fear that this
 time he had other impulse than his     

innate valor2 for there was no occasion 
for a solitary man1 riding in  these    
gloomy woods1 to be singing and         
hallooing1 and whirling his sword  about
 his head1 and swaying to and fro on his
 horse1 unless he were  strongly worked 
by aguardiente4    ,reaching ,virgin    
,bay some time after dark1 we found the 
report of an  enemy there untrue2 but   
the pickets were got out in remarkable  
haste1  and all the native              
population--some dozen women and        
children--were  seized1 to prevent      
discovery of us to the enemy1 and ,i    
suppose there was  some expectation of  
an attack4 ,however1 liquor being plenty
 amongst the  hotel-keepers at ,virgin  
,bay1 the officers thought it a good    
place to get  drunk in1--and many spent 
the night in that endeavor1 and in      
playing  poker2 so that in the morning1 
walking down to the lake to water my    
mule1 ,i met a colonel and a general    
staggering into quarters1 rubbing  their
 eyes sullenly1 having just lifted      

themselves from the street1  where the  
honest god ,bacchus1 as a poet calls    
him1 had put them to bed  the night     
before4    ,the steamer ,san ,carlos    
still lay over at the island1 under     
shadow of  the volcano4 ,the other      
probably lay at ,san ,jorge1 by the     
enemy4 ,the old  brig formerly anchored 
at ,virgin ,bay having been burned1     
there was now  no hope of retaking these
 steamers1 unless the party of ,texans1 
which we  had by this time heard was    
fighting its way up the ,rio ,san ,juan1
 should  succeed in getting upon the    
lake with a boat from the river4 ,but   
to-day  we came near reaching the top of
 this hope unexpectedly4 ,for whilst we 
still delayed in ,virgin ,bay1 smoke    
began to rise from the chimneys of  the 
,san ,carlos1 and in proper time she    
turned her prow and came across  the    
water directly toward us4 ,it was       
scarcely possible that she knew         
anything of our presence in ,virgin     
,bay2 and it was doubted by no one but  

she was coming to land there for some   
purpose2 and then her recapture1  were  
she full of the enemy1 was certain1 in  
the spirit we then were in3  for all    
felt1 that1 could we once get the       
steamer into our hands1 and  reach the  
four hundred fresh ,texans on the river1
 the filibuster star  would have shot up
 so high that it were ill-management    
indeed that would  ever pull it down    
again4 ,accordingly all were quickly    
driven into the  houses1 and told to lie
 there close1 and be ready to burst     
forth when  the steamer touched her     
pier4 ,but we were miserably            
disappointed4 ,she  came steadily up    
within half a mile of land1 and then1   
catching an  alarm1 turned1 and put     
swiftly back to the island4 ,i afterward
 heard  that two drunken officers had   
rushed out into the street1 and so      
apprised her of the danger4    ,after   
this the detachment set out towards     
,rivas4 ,we advanced along the  lake    
shore some distance1 fording the mouth  

of the little ,rio ,lajas1  whose waters
 had lost much depth since ,i first1    
passed over this road1  crossing the    
stream in a bungo4 ,in the forest we    
found1 at one point1  trees felled      
across the road1 as if the enemy had    
here been minded to  oppose us2 but we  
passed by1 seeing no one1 and reached   
,rivas in good  time1 unmolested4       
,arrived at ,rivas1 we found that a     
change was taking place in the          
character of the war4 ,the town had been
 threatened by the enemy during  our    
absence1 and ,general ,henningsen was   
busy putting it into a state  better    
suited to repel any sudden attack4      
,pieces of artillery looked  down all   
the principal approaches1 from behind   
short walls of adobe  blocks1 raised in 
the middle of the street with open      
passage-ways on  either side4 ,native   
men with machetes1 watched by armed     
guards1 were  clearing away the fine    
groves of orange1 mango1 and plantain1  
which  everywhere surrounded ,rivas1 and

 were fitted to cover the approach of an
  enemy4 ,others were tearing down or   
burning the houses in the outskirts1  to
 narrow the circle of defence4 ,the     
tenants of these houses--when they  had 
any--were moved up nearer the plaza1 or1
 if native1 sometimes  into the country4
 ,the native population of ,rivas1      
however1 was scanty1  consisting mostly 
of a few women1--of the kindest and most
 affable sort4  ,in what direction the  
men had all1 or nearly all1 gone1 ,i am 
unable to  say4 ,doubtless some of them 
were with the ,chamorristas4    ,so many
 of the houses were marked out to be    
pulled down1 that ,general  ,walker was 
obliged to quarter his new recruits in  
the church1 a large  stone building1 and
 curious from the head of ,washington1  
easily  identified1 carved in relief on 
its facade4 ,hitherto some native women 
had been accustomed to assemble in this 
church and worship1 under care  of a    
fat1 unctuous little padre1 very        
obsequiously courteous toward           

filibusters2--and well he might be2 for 
,general ,walker was suspicious  of all 
padres1 and kept a stern eye upon them4 
,once he caught one of  them1 who had   
preached treason against him within     
reach of his arm1 and  released him     
again only upon payment of five thousand
 pesos4 ,another1  for a like offence1  
was put into the guard-house1 and       
required to ransom  himself at          
twenty-five hundred4 ,what became of    
this one1 whether he paid  his ransom   
and got out1 or whether he stayed there 
until he lost oil and  became lean on   
the small ration furnished him1 was not 
rumored4 ,yet1  with all this in his    
memory1 when the present padre came     
again with  his flock of women and found
 the church occupied by soldiers1 he    
went  away scowling1 and never even     
lifted his shovel-hat to me when ,i met 
him4    ,on the night succeeding our    
return from ,san ,juan1 ,general ,walker
  determined to try a night attack on   
,san ,jorge1 hoping much from the  fresh

 spirit and muscle of his forty         
,californians4 ,to assist in this1  our 
company had orders to be on the plaza at
 two o'clock1 afoot1 with  clean rifles 
and forty rounds of ammunition4 ,at one 
o'clock we arose  and went down on the  
plaza1 in number about twenty1 the rest 
of the  company remaining behind on     
account of sickness4 ,on the way1       
however1  the number was augmented by a 
second company of near twenty dismounted
  rangers1 with ,colonel ,waters at     
their head4    ,whilst we stood1 in     
rather low spirits1 waiting the hour of 
departure1  our captain procured us a   
calabash of aguardiente1 which1 thinking
  upon the desperate work ahead of us   
and the infinite toil and  sleeplessness
 of the last few weeks1 we considered   
excellent1 and not to  be spared4       
,discomfort in battle is a positive     
evil1 felt1 perhaps1 by  all sons of    
,adam2 and he who will use means to get 
rid of it and leave  himself free to    
work is no more a coward1 so far1 than  

he who takes  chloroform to prevent the 
pain of a tooth-pulling1--mere positive 
evil1  likewise4 ,aguardiente will serve
 a good purpose2--provided the head be  
not essentially weak1 or too            
inflammable1 it ascends you into the    
brain1  and dries you there1 as one hath
 said1 all the nervous1 crudy vapors    
that environ it4 ,but this captain of   
ours drank too injudiciously1 and1      
indeed1 so obscured himself with his    
drink1 often1 that we his men were      
loath to trust and follow him1--doubting
 that he knew where he was about  to    
take us1 or for what purpose4 ,to-night 
he strapped a large canteen of          
aguardiente about his neck and wore it  
into battle1--and many times1  as the   
danger staggered1 we saw him draw       
courageous spirit through the  neck of  
it1 and go on befogged and reassured4   
,yet1 withal1 he was no  greater coward 
than other men1--indeed1 much braver    
than most1--had been  wounded whilst    
leading a forlorn hope over a           

barricade1--and would1 ,i  doubt not1   
have fought well without aguardiente1   
had drinking been a  mark of cowardice  
in the army4    ,at length all was      
ready1 and1 with something above three  
hundred  riflemen and infantry1 under   
command of ,generals ,walker and        
,sanders1 we  started out on the ,san   
,jorge road some hours after midnight4  
,we kept  along the highway until we    
began to approach the town1 and then    
turned  aside into a by-lane crossing to
 the left4 ,the by-lane was interrupted 
at one place by a deep pool of water1   
through which the detachment  plunging1 
half-leg deep1 some of the weak-legged  
stumbled and fell1  getting their       
cartridge-boxes under1 and spoiling     
their ammunition4    ,at the end of this
 lane we came into another highway      
running toward ,san  ,jorge1 along which
 we advanced rapidly4 ,after a while we 
came to a halt1  and a party was sent   
off2 then forward again1 a corner       
turned1 and  another halt1--when ,i     

heard ,general ,walker asking some one1 
in composed  voice1 ,does he know       
exactly where we are8 ,whilst we stood  
there1 a  sudden and hot rattle of      
musketry began from the front1 and we   
again  advanced swiftly1 by scattered   
adobes1 turning corners1 and came in    
full view of a barricade some distance  
ahead spitting flashes of fire          
crosswise into the right-hand side of   
the street4 ,we crossed over from  left 
to right1 and halted behind an adobe4   
,on our right hand stood  a grove of    
small trees1 through which the          
assailants had probably  advanced1 and  
in which1 just ahead1 hot work was now  
going on  loudly1--with ,mini-balls1    
grape-shot1 shouts1 outcries1 and blood 
enough doubtless4 ,after some delay     
here1 part of us rangers1 led by        
,colonel ,waters1 recrossed the street1 
and advanced1 crouching1 toward  the    
barricade spitting flames in front4 ,we 
crept1 double file1 along a  palisade of
 tall cactus which bordered this part of

 the street1 against  whose thorns my   
neighbor on the right would frequently  
thrust me1 as the  shot nipped him      
closely1--inconvenient1 but without     
pain1 so intense was  the distraction of
 the moment4 ,we had crept within a few 
rods of the  barricade1 where we had    
glimpse of faces through embrasures1    
amidst the  smoke and flame1 and our    
leader1 as he afterwards said1 had it on
 his  lips to order the forward         
rush1--when the party attacking on our  
right1  behind the trees1 gave back1 and
 our own mere handful was checked1 and  
retraced its steps running4 ,a moment   
later1 and we had gone upon that  high  
barricade1 some score of us1 without    
backers in the street1 to  draw on us   
the enemy's whole fire1--and very       
likely--unless they had  foolishly fled 
at our first rush--to be all killed     
there4    ,on the retreat1 ,i with some 
others was ordered out of the ranks to  
pick  up a wounded officer and carry him
 off the ground4 ,we took him down the  

street1 turned a corner1 and laid him on
 the floor of a church some  distance   
beyond4 ,he had an arm broken and a bad 
wound in his body1--a  hopeless man2 but
 upborne and defiant through aguardiente
 and native  strength4 ,after getting   
him off our hands1 we returned to our   
company1  which we found sheltering     
behind the adobe where we had halted    
when on  the advance4 ,here we remained 
some time1 with instructions from       
,general  ,walker 7whom1 at this time1  
we seemed to follow as personal guard7  
to  keep ourselves out of reach of the  
missiles flying on either side of the   
house4 ,the darkness was so thick that  
we could see only what was passing      
immediately around us1 and therefore    
were ignorant as to the position  of the
 foot1 and what was now doing amongst   
them4 ,it was said1 however1            
afterwards1 that their officers strove  
to rally and bring them up to  another  
charge1 but that they proved mutinous1  
and refused to move4    ,they had       

suffered1 indeed1 discouragement enough4
 ,colonel ,o',neal1 who  had led them1  
was mortally wounded2 the barricade was 
too high and  dangerous2 they had tried 
to fire it without success4 ,some of the
 forty  recruits1 who were in front of  
the party1 had climbed over it2 and     
these  afterwards affirmed1 that1 had   
the others followed then1 the barricade 
had been gained2 but the older soldiers 
had degenerated1 possessed  little of   
these men's zeal or spirit1 hesitated1  
and1 their colonel  falling1 gave back4 
,those who had gone over the barricade  
were killed  there1 or came back with   
wounds1--one with a bayonet-thrust      
through the  arm1--a most remarkable    
wound1 in which1 perhaps1               
,central-,americans  fleshed a bayonet  
for the first time4    ,our company1 or 
part of it1--for most had been placed   
about on pickets  when the attack       
failed1--after a while fell farther     
back1 turned the  corner before         
mentioned1 faced about1 and came to a   

stand in the street1  with an adobe     
house on the left4 ,the street in which 
we stood ran  straight forward1 and     
crossed the one down which we had just  
receded at  right angles1 a few feet    
ahead of us1 so that there was here a   
junction  of four streets1 or1 ,i might 
better say1 roads2 for there were no    
more  than four disconnected houses in  
the immediate vicinity1--the one on the 
corner beside us1 one on the corner     
diagonally opposite1 the one up the     
street running left1 on the far side1   
behind which we had a little while  ago 
taken shelter1 and the square stone     
church1 whither we had carried  the     
wounded man1 and which stood on the far 
side of the street some  yards behind   
us4 ,the rest of the space was covered  
with fruit-trees and  a heavy growth of 
hushes2 and concealed behind these lay  
the barricades  and the plaza of ,san   
,jorge4 ,but all this was seen later2   
then the  whole was wrapped in thick    
darkness1 it yet lacking some short time

 of  daybreak4    ,whilst our detached  
company was standing there1 with the    
foot drawn up  in the road a little way 
before us1 a single horseman came out   
from the  enemy and galloped past our   
picket1 stationed up the road some      
distance  ahead of the detachment4 ,the 
picket fired upon him after he had      
passed2  he dropped under his horse's   
side1 and galloped back1 apparently     
unharmed2 but1 from the direction of    
their fire1 the picket was  naturally   
mistaken for the enemy by the detachment
 in front1 who could  see only the      
flashes through the darkness4 ,some     
stood their ground1 and  returned the   
fire1 placing the picket in great       
danger2 but the bulk1  already well     
scared by their repulse1 broke away     
panic-stricken1 and  came rushing down  
the road toward us1 thinking the enemy  
were charging  behind them4 ,our company
 was suddenly overwhelmed1 or borne     
along by the  current1 ignorant of the  
cause of alarm4 ,i brought myself up    

behind the  corner house1 where many of 
the others were taking shelter4 ,but    
hearing  some one cry out1 ,to the      
church6 to the church6 make a stand in  
the  church6 ,i immediately ran across  
the road and entered the church by a    
side-door4 ,as ,i crossed the entrance1 
with two or three others1  ,general     
,walker came running up from the        
interior1 with his sword out1           
crying1--,where's that man came into the
 church8 ,show me that man6  ,there were
 cocked revolvers with some of us1 and  
it was1 perhaps1 well  for ,general     
,walker that the crowd now pouring in   
strongly at both front  and side doors  
diverted him4 ,turning to these1 he     
threw himself first on  one1 then on    
another1 battered1 tugged1 and thrust   
them out at the door  with such force as
 ,i hardly thought was in him4 ,he was  
soon assisted  by ,sanders1 ,waters1 and
 other officers1 and1 with the curses   
and  vociferations of these men1 the    
confused rush of the panic-stricken     

crowd in the dark1 and the outcries of  
the wounded1 who lay about  on the      
floor1 as the fugitives trampled over   
them1 there was such a  pressure as     
might unchart a young soldier1 and      
strand him among his  fears4    ,after  
seeing enough of it1 ,i ran out again   
into the street1 sore  bestead1 indeed1 
to know what ,i should do4 ,day was     
beginning to break1  and in the gray    
dawn ,i saw the men ejected from the    
church running  hither and thither1     
trying to rejoin their officers4 ,and1  
there being  neither standards nor drums
 to collect by1 the sergeants stood at  
divers  points shouting at the top of   
their voices the number and letter  of  
their companies1 and calling the        
fugitives to come into ranks4           
,mini-balls whizzed about in the air or 
knocked up the dust from  the street1   
and firing was now and then heard near  
by in uncertain  directions1 where      
perhaps the enemy were vexing our       
pickets4 ,i believe  it had been a      

helter-skelter day for us all1 had the  
enemy got in then  and attacked us in   
the midst of this confusion4 ,they might
 surely have  driven us into            
irretrievable rout1 flying on the road  
to ,rivas1 by a  spirited charge of     
fifty good men1 or much less4    ,whilst
 ,i stood in doubt what course to take1 
,i saw our captain1 followed  by three  
or four of the company1 looking over the
 ground for the  missing1 and ,i        
forthwith made up and joined him4       
,others came in1 one by  one2 and at    
length1 the foot being gathered together
 in the adobes1  and things brought to  
order outside1 the captain led his      
company into  the church4 ,general      
,walker was still there1 talking        
earnestly with  ,sanders and ,waters1   
having cleared the church of the        
fugitives4 ,as we  approached1 he asked 
the captain1 who by this time had       
emptied his  canteen of aguardiente1 how
 many of his men were killed4 ,the      
captain  began cursing the foot1 and    

telling how he had been run over1 having
  tried to stand1--and would have made a
 long talc1 but ,colonel ,waters        
touched him on the shoulder1 and said in
 undertone1--,lead your company  off4   
,you are too drunk to talk now4    ,our 
post thenceforward was at the several   
doors of the church1 where we  kept     
guard for the wounded1 who lay about the
 floor in miserable plight  for lack of 
water4 ,outside1 drop-shooting was still
 kept up by the enemy  in the bushes1   
and returned by ours from the doors4    
,it was an ill-looking situation for our
 small1 panic-shaken party1  resting    
here within pistol-shot of an           
overwhelming and victorious enemy4  ,the
 enemy's respect for us was too great   
and unreasonable4 ,it behooved  them    
certainly1 as honest soldiers1 to come  
forth now and drive us out  of their    
town1 in which1 ,i think1 if well       
commenced1 there had been but  little   
difficulty4 ,afterwards1 indeed1 when ,i
 was amongst them in ,costa  ,rica1 they

 declared concerning this affair that   
they knew we were in  their power then1 
but refrained because they were         
unwilling to shed more  filibuster      
blood1 preferring rather to conquer us  
by proclamation1 and  send us back to   
our homes unhurt1--more expensive1 to be
 sure1 but  recommended by humanity4    
,yet ,i laugh at this when ,i remember  
how they  crept snake-like in the       
bushes1 and tried to pick us off at the 
doors1  and how they strove1 without    
much danger to themselves1 to run our   
pickets in on us1 and get to see our    
backs turned1 whereupon1 doubtless1     
humanity would have been little thought 
of1 and filibuster blood cheap  enough4 
,indeed1 once that morning1 with little 
less than four-score  horse1 they came  
charging with hope to pass a picket of  
ten men2 but  saddles being emptied1    
they recoiled1 and their leader being   
slain1  whilst attempting to rally them1
 they fled contemptibly1--seven or eight
  from one4 ,however1 this is only my   

revenge for much exasperation and       
deploration that they would never come  
away from their pestiferous             
walls1--where1 after all1 they had a    
right to stay1 and will not be  blamed  
by the candid and unbebullet-whizzed    
reader that they did stay4    ,we kept  
our post at the doors1 annoyed and      
apprehensive1 until the sun  was an hour
 or so high1 when a party of rangers    
arrived from ,rivas  with led horses to 
transport the wounded1--which           
incumbrance it was1 ,i  suppose1 that   
prevented our withdrawal earlier4 ,the  
wounded were carried  out and mounted1  
some with a soldier behind to support   
them4 ,colonel  ,o',neal1 however1 who  
had both legs broken1 was carried on a  
litter1 with  a cocked revolver on each 
side of him2 for1 though he had lost    
much  blood1 there was yet spirit in    
him1 and he wanted revenge for these    
death-wounds4 ,the pickets were now all 
brought in hastily1 and the  detachment 
began its march1 leaving1 ,i remember1  

one stark form propped  against the     
church wall1 with staring eyeballs      
fixed1 and soul wandered  somewhither4  
,this1 from his clean looks1 had been   
one of the fresh  ,california recruits1 
who1 indeed1 had found miserable        
entertainment on  their arrival in      
,nicaragua1 land of oranges and         
sunshine1--being first  and longest this
 night at the barricade1 and leaving    
many of their  number there4    ,a      
little way from the church we crossed a 
road running into ,san ,jorge1  and1    
looking up1 saw a high log-barricade1   
some fifty rods off1 with  embrasures   
and black-mouthed cannon frowning down  
on us4 ,why we were not  fired upon ,i  
know not1 unless on that same score of  
humanity1 or because  the enemy had     
abandoned it during last night's        
assault4 ,farther on1  whilst passing   
through a plantain-patch1 we saw the    
greasers some  way off in our rear1     
watching us1 running to and fro1 and    
seemingly  exercised with preparation   

for attacking4 ,however1 we passed out  
into  the road1 and went on undisturbed1
 yet still with the enemy hovering      
behind us4    ,coming to a place where  
an abrupt little mound rose at a fork in
 the  road1 our company1 which brought  
up the rear of the detachment1 had      
orders to conceal itself behind this1   
and await the pursuers1 and give  them  
check4 ,in a moment they came galloping 
up the slope of a hill some  two or     
three hundred yards back1 their heads   
only appearing at first1  then the rest 
down to the saddle1 when we arose       
suddenly and gave them a  volley of     
rifle-bullets4 ,they dropped down       
quickly1 either to the ground  or under 
their horses' bellies1 in which         
manoeuvre some of them rival  the       
prairie ,indians4 ,others coming up from
 behind1 we gave them more1  until they 
all disappeared finally4 ,after this we 
saw no more of them1  and arrived at    
,rivas without further alarm4    ,this  
was now the third repulse we had        

sustained within a few days1 with  an   
aggregate loss1 perhaps1 counting       
wounded1 7who1 as ,i have said1 were    
more regretted than the dead17 not very 
far under two hundred men1--and  it     
became apparent that the filibuster day 
was over1 unless ,general  ,walker could
 find some stratagem in his head1 or    
some better mode of  fighting than this 
confident rushing upon an overwhelming  
enemy1 under  strong cover1 and grown   
bold with success4 ,the prospect1 truly1
 began  to look black enough4 ,the men  
had lost confidence in themselves and in
  their officers1 no longer despised the
 enemy1 and dreaded the barricades  at  
,san ,jorge so deeply that they would be
 led against them no more4  ,those who  
intended to desert avoided every        
exposure to danger1 and  feigned        
sickness whenever detailed for service4 
,one of the rifle  regiments had grown  
mutinous1 upon some quarrel with its    
officers1 and  refused to do duty of any
 kind1 and it was absurd to attempt to  

compel  it by aid of the others4 ,the   
natives1 who had charge of the beef     
cattle1  turned them all out of the     
corral1 and ran away in the night1      
leaving  the army without meat1 and the 
commissary force1 some forty horsemen1  
to seek for prey wherever it was to be  
found4 ,and then there were ill  reports
 heard about the party on the ,rio ,san 
,juan1 and its success began  to be     
doubted4 ,but worse than all was the    
fast-spreading spirit of  desertion1    
which all saw would prove ruinous of    
itself1 unless shortly  stopped in some 
way4    ,at this juncture it might have 
been worth while for ,general ,walker to
  form a corps for one attack of all the
 men in his army who felt an  earnest   
interest in driving the enemy out1 and  
were willing to fight  desperately for  
the sake of it4 ,there were scores of   
stout men acting  as lieutenants1       
captains1 majors1 etc41 of slight       
performance in those  capacities1 but   
who1 had they been formed into          

companies1 and asked to  fight now one  
night1 at this desperate juncture1 for  
the haciendas  ,general ,walker had     
promised them1 would have done willing1 
perhaps1 and  excellent service4 ,to    
these might be added all those among the
 ranks  to whom1 from any cause1        
desertion or expulsion from ,nicaragua  
was  disagreeable1--those who distrusted
 the ,costa-,rican promises1 or feared  
disgrace at home1 or had sick or wounded
 friends at ,rivas1 or were  desperate1 
broken men without other home1 or with  
what other peculiar  motives there might
 be4 ,with this force gathered to       
themselves by call  for volunteers1     
allowed to choose their own officers1   
furnished with  ,colt's revolvers1 or   
bayonets1 or both1 and led in advance1  
as a forlorn  hope1 with ladders to     
scale the barricades by1--it is likely  
the enemy  might have been driven out1  
and the cause of ,regeneration set up   
once  more4 ,so1 at least1 it was       
thought by some4 ,and1 indeed1 it must  

have  been extremely discouraging for   
one of better will to be fearful at     
every step that his comrades would dart 
aside into the bushes and leave  him    
unsupported2 it must have served to     
cripple the efforts of all the          
well-intentioned in the army1 and should
 have been remedied4 ,however1  no call 
for volunteers was ventured by ,general 
,walker1--he1 probably1  thinking it too
 unreasonable to ask his men to do      
anything for him  unforced4    ,there   
were some others who thought affairs    
might be retrieved1 if  ,general ,walker
 were displaced1 at least from his      
military command1  and ,henningsen1 or  
some other1 put in his stead4 ,he was   
exceedingly  unpopular1 hated1 indeed1  
by a great many1 7,i have known more    
than one  who professed to nourish the  
intent of shooting him during his next  
battle1 when the deed could be covered17
 was respected only for his  strong will
 and personal bravery1 and had never    
been superseded1 solely1  perhaps1      

because the great majority of his men   
were either without  energy1 or were    
careless about everything but escape1   
and so felt no  interest in dethroning  
him and setting up another1 when thereby
 they  were not helping their chance of 
getting out of the ,isthmus4 ,however1  
there was now a conspiracy commenced by 
some who were unwilling to leave        
,nicaragua1 and who distrusted ,general 
,walker's ability to save the           
filibusters much longer4    ,but these  
underworkers had made us no sign up to  
the night attack on  ,san ,jorge1 and   
the day succeeding that the writer lost 
sight of the  filibuster camp1 and knew 
what took place in it no more4 ,i will  
tell how  the withdrawal was brought    
about1 and then extinguish my story4    
,near the  middle of the day1 after     
returning from ,san ,jorge1 the company 
rode out1  under command of the         
sergeant1 to gather forage for the      
animals4 ,in  order to give my own mule 
a respite1 ,i mounted for this occasion 

a  bad-winded animal1 long before used  
up1 and discarded by one of the         
company1 and left to run about the yard4
 ,as we rode out at the gateway1  one of
 the men advised me with some           
pointedness to go back and get my  own  
animal1 assuring me the one ,i had would
 fail me on this expedition4  ,yet1     
knowing he was good for the distance we 
usually rode foraging1 ,i  paid him no  
heed1 and thought nothing of his        
somewhat singular manner  until         
afterwards4 ,when we had gone some      
distance1 the same man asked me  if ,i  
had heard that forty deserters had left 
last night for ,costa ,rica1  adding1   
that it was his opinion the whole army  
would soon be on the same  road4 ,well1 
said ,i1 ,i suppose we'll be among the  
last4 ,i don't  think ,i will1 rejoined 
he1 nor the rest of this company4 ,he   
said no  more2 but it flashed upon me   
then that we were even now on the road  
for  ,costa ,rica2 and it soon became   
certainty1 as the sergeant turned down  

toward the ,transit road1 a direction in
 which we had never been  allowed to    
forage1 probably because the natives on 
that side had more  communication with  
,san ,juan and ,virgin ,bay1 and        
,general ,walker was  unwilling that the
 ,states passengers should hear too many
 complaints  from them4 ,i was before   
aware that many of the company had been 
for some  time revolving desertion1 and 
had myself been sounded by one a day or 
two previously2 but could have had no   
suspicion that this was to be the       
occasion1 because several of the most   
forward in the matter had made  excuses1
 and remained behind in quarters4    ,at
 length we halted in a little stream1   
some miles from ,rivas1 to water  our   
animals1 and it was here openly         
announced that the party was on its  way
 to ,costa ,rica to take the benefit of 
the government proclamation4 ,i  rode   
back toward the rear1 where ,i saw a    
dispute going on between one of  the    
company who wanted to return to ,rivas  

and others who insisted that  he must go
 forward4 ,one of them met me in the    
path1 and told me ,i must  go with them 
until they had got beyond the ,transit  
road4 ,they had no  wish1 he said1 to   
force men to desert2 but this much was  
needed to save  themselves from danger  
of pursuit4 ,i told him my mule would   
never carry  me back from the ,transit  
road4 ,we will catch you another1 said  
he1  when we reach the ,jocote rancho4  
,the whole crowd1 save two or three1    
were with him1 and it was useless to    
persist4 ,so ,i turned and rode  forward
 with the rest4    ,at the ,jocote      
rancho we succeeded in catching a mule1 
but he was given  to another of the     
company1 whose animal showed worse signs
 than my own1  which1 indeed1 had borne 
me much better than ,i expected1 and was
 not yet  seriously fatigued4    ,we    
came out upon the ,transit road1 passed 
over the ,cordillera ridges1  and1 just 
beyond the little river which crosses   
the road1 two miles from  ,san ,juan1   

turned aside into a forest-trail leading
 down the coast to  ,costa ,rica4 ,those
 of us who had been pressed thus far1   
after crossing  the ,transit road1 gave 
over all design of returning4 ,the bonds
 which  drew us back were not strong1   
and the danger of return was            
considerable4  ,we had heard that the   
enemy was at ,virgin ,bay1 and that     
their lancers  frequently passed        
backward and forward on the ,transit    
road1 and between  ,san ,jorge and      
,virgin ,bay4 ,if we returned1 we should
 be confined to the  path nearly all the
 way to ,rivas by the impenetrable      
forest1 and easily  taken1 should we    
meet the enemy1 or liable even1 one or  
two only1 to be  shot down from ambush  
by the hostile natives who lived on the 
route4    ,for my own part1 ,i decided  
to go on with hesitation and regret1 and
 ,i  believe1 had one been ready to     
return1 ,i should have borne him willing
  company4 ,i preferred even the hard   
service and dubious chance of ,general  

,walker to the alternative of going     
amongst the ,costa-,ricans1 where  a    
cowardly populace would probably kick   
and spit upon us as dirty  filibusters  
and deserters2 and should their         
government even keep its  promises1 ,i  
had no stomach for being set ashore in  
the city of ,new ,york1  without money  
in my pocket1 or home that ,i wished to 
go to4 ,my health  had been good in     
,nicaragua1 and1 ,i believed1 would     
remain good4 ,the  motive which sent me 
there was still in force2 and1 withal1  
,i wished to  see the filibuster game   
played out1--with ,henningsen1 or some  
other man  than ,general ,walker1 as    
military director4 ,i believed it might 
even  take a turn so1 and a sans-culotte
 man be furnished at last with a        
two-hundred-and-fifty-acre home in      
,nicaragua1--      ',mid sandal bowers  
and groves of spice1    ,might be a     
,peri's paradise2    and plantain food  
without sweat1 and the elixir of joy    
called  aguardiente6 ,nevertheless it   

was all left behind2 and ,samuel        
,absalom  tore the large1 dirty canvas  
letters ,m4,r41 signifying ,mounted     
,ranger1  off from his blue flannel     
shirt-breast2 and his experience as     
filibuster  in ,nicaragua               
closed1--somewhat ingloriously4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,,roba ,,di ,,roma4    ,continued4      
,,chapter ,v4    ,,christmas ,,holidays4
      ,the ,christmas ,holidays have    
come1 and with them various customs and 
celebrations quite peculiar to ,rome4   
,they are ushered in by the festive     
clang of a thousand bells from all the  
belfries in ,rome at ,ave ,maria of  the
 evening before the august day4 ,at     
about nine o'clock of the same  evening 
the ,pope performs ,high ,mass in some  
one of the great churches1  generally at
 ,santa ,maria ,maggiore1 when all the  
pillars of this fine old  basilica are  
draped with red hangings1 and scores of 
candles burn in the  side chapels1 and  
the great altar blazes with light4 ,the 

fuguing chants  of the ,papal choir     
sound into the dome and down the aisles1
 while the  ,holy ,father ministers at  
the altar1 and a motley crowd parade and
 jostle  and saunter through the church4
 ,here1 mingled together1 may be seen   
soldiers of the ,swiss guard1 with their
 shining helmets1 long halberds1  and   
party-colored uniforms1 designed by     
,michel ,angelo1--chamberlains of  the  
,pope1 all in black1 with their high    
ruffs1 ,spanish cloaks1 silken          
stockings1 and golden chains1--contadini
 from the mountains1 in their  dully    
brilliant costumes and white            
tovaglie1--common laborers from the     
,campagna1 with their black mops of     
tangled hair1--forestieri of  every     
nation1--,englishmen1 with long1 light1 
pendant whiskers1 and an  eye-glass     
stuck in one eye1--,germans1 with       
spectacles1 frogged coats1  and long1   
straight hair put behind their ears and 
cut square in the  neck1--then          
,americans1 in high-heeled              

patent-leather boots1 a black           
dress-coat1 and a black satin           
waistcoat1--and wasp-waisted ,french    
officers1 with baggy trousers1 a        
goat-beard1 and a pretentious swagger4  
,nearer the altar are crowded together  
in pens a mass of women in black        
dresses and black veils1 who are        
determined to see and hear all1         
treating the ceremony purely as a       
spectacle1 and not as a religious  rite4
 ,meantime the music soars1 the organ   
groans1 the censer clicks1  steams of   
incense float to and fro4 ,the ,pope and
 his attendants kneel  and rise1--he    
lifts the ,host1 and the world          
prostrates itself4 ,a great  procession 
of dignitaries with torches bears a     
fragment of the original  cradle of the 
,holy ,bambino from its chapel to the   
high altar1 through  the swaying crowd  
that gape and gaze and stare and sneer  
and adore4 ,and  thus the evening       
passes4 ,when the clock strikes midnight
 all the bells  ring merrily1 ,mass     

commences at the principal churches1 and
 at ,san ,luigi  dei ,francesi and the  
,ges there is a great illumination 7what
 the ,french  call un joli spectacle7   
and very good music4 ,thus ,christmas is
 ushered  in at ,rome4    ,the next day 
is a great festa4 ,all classes are      
dressed in their best  and go to        
,mass1--and when that is over1 they     
throng the streets to chat  and lounge  
and laugh and look at each other4 ,the  
,corso is so crowded in  the morning1   
that a carriage can scarcely pass4      
,everywhere one hears the  pleasant     
greeting of ,buona ,festa1 ,buona       
,pasqu4 ,all the basso  popolo1 too1 are
 out1--the women wearing their best     
jewelry1 heavy  gold ear-rings1         
three-rowed collane of well-worn coral  
and gold1 long  silver and gold pins and
 arrows in their hair1 and great worked 
brooches  with pendants1--and the men of
 the ,trastevere in their peaked hats1  
their short jackets swung over one      
shoulder in humble imitation of the     

,spanish cloak1 and with rich scarfs    
tied round their waists4 ,most of  the  
ordinary cries of the day are missed4   
,but the constant song of  ,arancie6    
arancie dolci6 is heard in the crowd2   
and everywhere  are the sigarari1       
carrying round their wooden tray of     
tobacco1 and  shouting1 ,sigari6 sigari 
dolci6 sigari scelti6 at the top of     
their  lungs2 the nocellaro also cries  
sadly about his dry chestnuts and       
pumpkin-seeds4 ,the shops are all       
closed1 and the shopkeepers and clerks  
saunter up and down the streets1 dressed
 better than the same class  anywhere   
else in the world1--looking             
spick-and-span1 as if they had just     
come out of a bandbox1 and nearly all of
 them carrying a little cane4  ,one     
cannot but be struck by the difference  
in this respect between the  ,romans on 
a festa-day in the ,corso and the       
,parisians during fte in  the ,champs   
lyses1--the former are so much better   
dressed1 and so much  happier1 gayer1   

and handsomer4    ,during the morning1  
the ,pope celebrates ,high ,mass at ,san
 ,pietro1 and  thousands of spectators  
are there1--some from curiosity1 some   
from  piety4 ,few1 however1 of the      
,roman families go there to-day2--they  
perform  their religious services in    
their private chapel or in some minor   
church2 for the crowd of forestieri     
spoils ,st4 ,peter's for prayer4,a  ,at 
the elevation of the ,host1 the guards1 
who line the nave1 drop to  their knees1
 their side-arms ringing on the         
pavement1--the vast crowd  bends1--and a
 swell of trumpets sounds through the   
dome4 ,nothing can be  more impressive  
than this moment in ,st4 ,peter's4 ,then
 the choir from its  gilt cage resumes  
its chant1 the high falsetti of the     
soprani soaring  over the rest1 and     
interrupted now and then by the clear   
musical voice  of the ,pope1--until at  
last he is borne aloft in his ,papal    
chair on the  shoulders of his          
attendants1 crowned with the triple     

crown1 between  the high1 white1 waving 
fans2 all the cardinals1 monsignori1    
canonici1  officials1 priests1 and      
guards going before him in splendid     
procession4  ,the ,pope shuts his eyes1 
from giddiness and from fasting1--for he
 has  eaten nothing for twenty-four     
hours1 and the swaying motion of the    
chair  makes him dizzy and sick4 ,but he
 waves at intervals his three fingers to
  bless the crowd that kneel or bend    
before him1 and then goes home to the   
,vatican to dine with a clean conscience
 and a good appetite4    ,footnote ,a3  
,how1 says ,marforio to ,pasquino1 shall
 ,i1 being a true  son of the ,holy     
,church1 obtain admittance to her       
services8 ,to which  ,pasquino returns  
for answer3 ,declare that you are an    
,englishman1 and  swear that you are a  
heretic4    ,it is the universal rule   
among priests to fast before saying     
,mass1 and  never to take the wafer or  
body of ,christ upon a full stomach4    
,the  law is de rigueur1 and is almost  

never broken4 ,but sometimes the        
temptation of the appetite1 it may be   
supposed1 will overcome even a  pious   
man2 for priest though one be1 one is   
also flesh-and-blood4 ,an  anecdote     
lately told me by the ,conte ,cignale   
7dei ,selvaggi7 may not  be out of place
 in this connection1 and ,i instance it 
as an undoubted  exception to the       
general rule4 ,a friend of his1 an      
,english artist1  enamored of ,italian  
life1 was spending the summer in one of 
the mountain  towns4 ,finding little    
society there except the physician and  
the parish  priest1 he soon became on   
intimate terms with them4 ,one morning  
the  priest called on him before he had 
finished breakfast4 ,a savory dish was  
smoking on the table1 and the fumes of  
the hot coffee filled the room4  ,i wish
 you could take breakfast with me1 said 
he2 but ,i know you are  to say ,mass1  
and that it would be contrary to rule   
for you to eat  until it is performed4  
,the priest shrugged his shoulders and  

looked  deprecatorily at the artist and 
at the breakfast4 ,still1 continued the 
latter1 if your scruples would allow    
you1 ,i should be delighted if you      
would help me with this capital dish4   
,the temptation was great2 the  smell   
was savory4 ,the priest made a strong   
internal defence1 but the  garrison was 
forced at last to capitulate4 ,eh6 said 
he1 as he took  his seat1 in fatto  il  
costume generale di non mangiare prima  
di dire  la messa e di prendere l'ostia4
 ,ma--in queste circostanze1--here  he  
looked to see that the door was well    
fastened1--mi pare che si  potrebbe far 
un letto per nostro ,signore1 ,ges      
,cristo4    ,it is the custom in ,rome  
at the great festas1 of which ,christmas
 is  one of the principal ones1 for each
 parish to send round the sacrament  to 
all its sick2 and during these days a   
procession of priest and  attendants may
 be seen1 preceded by their cross and   
banner1 bearing the  holy wafer to the  
various houses4 ,as they march along1   

they make the  streets resound with the 
psalm they sing4 ,everybody lifts his   
hat as  they pass1 and many among the   
lower classes kneel upon the pavement4  
,frequently the procession is followed  
by a rout of men1 women1 and  children1 
who join in the chanting and responses1 
pausing with the  priest before the door
 of the sick person1 and accompanying it
 as it  moves from house to house4      
,at ,christmas1 all the ,roman world    
which has a baiocco in its pocket  eats 
torone and pan giallo4 ,the shops of the
 pastry-cooks and  confectioners are    
filled with them1 mountains of them     
incumber the  counters1 and for days    
before ,christmas crowds of purchasers  
throng to  buy them4 ,torone is a sort  
of hard candy1 made of honey and        
almonds1  and crusted over with         
crystallized sugar2 or in other words1  
it is a  nuga with a sweet frieze       
coat2--but nuga is a trifle to it for   
consistency4 ,pan giallo is perhaps so  
called quasi lucus1 it being  neither   

bread nor yellow4 ,i know no way of     
giving a clearer notion of  it than by  
saying that its father is almond-candy  
and its mother a  plum-pudding4 ,it     
partakes of the qualities of both its   
parents4 ,from its  mother it inherits  
plums and citron1 while its father      
bestows upon it  almonds and            
consistency4 ,in hardness of character  
it is half-way between  the two1--having
 neither the maternal tenderness on the 
one hand1 nor  the paternal stoniness on
 the other4 ,one does not break one's   
teeth on  it as over the torone1 which  
is only to be cajoled into masticability
  by prolonged suction1 and often not   
then2 but the teeth sink into it as  the
 wagoner's wheels into clayey mire1 and 
every now and then receive a  shock1 as 
from sunken rocks1 from the             
raisin-stones1 indurated almonds1       
pistachio-nuts1 and pine-seeds1 which   
startle the ignorant and innocent  eater
 with frightful doubts4 ,i carried away 
one tooth this year over my  first      

piece2 but it was a tooth which had been
 considerably indebted to  ,california1 
and ,i have forgiven the pan giallo4 ,my
 friend the ,conte  ,cignale1 who       
partook at the same time of torone1     
having incautiously  put a large lump   
into his mouth1 found himself           
compromised thereby to  such an extent  
as to be at once reduced to silence and 
retirement behind  his                  
pocket-handkerchief4 ,an unfortunate    
jest1 however1 reduced him to           
extremities1 and1 after a vehement      
struggle for politeness1 he was  forced 
to open the window and give his torone  
to the pavement--and  the little boys1  
perhaps4 ,chi sa8 ,but1 despite these   
dangers and  difficulties1 all the world
 at ,rome eats pan giallo and torone at 
,christmas1--and a ,christmas without   
them would be an egg without salt4      
,they are at once a penance and a       
pleasure4 ,not content with the pan     
giallo1 the ,romans also import the pan 
forte di ,siena1 which is a  blood      

cousin of the former1 and suffers almost
 nothing from time and  age4    ,on     
,christmas and ,new ,year's day all the 
servants of your friends present        
themselves at your door to wish you a   
buona festa1 or a buon capo  d'anno4    
,this generous expression of good       
feeling is1 however1 expected  to be    
responded to by a more substantial      
expression on your part1 in the  shape  
of four or five pauls1 so that one      
peculiarly feels the value of a  large  
visiting-list of acquaintances at this  
season4 ,to such an extent  is this     
practice carried1 that in the houses of 
the cardinals and  princes places are   
sought by servants merely for the vails 
of the  festas1 no other wages being    
demanded4 ,especially is this the case  
with the higher dignitaries of the      
,church1 whose maestro di casa1 in      
hiring domestics1 takes pains to point  
out to them the advantages of  their    
situation in this respect4 ,lest the    
servants should not be aware  of all    

these advantages1 the times when such   
requisitions may be  gracefully made and
 the sums which may be levied are       
carefully  indicated1--not by the       
cardinal in person1 of course1 but by   
his  underlings2 and many of the fellows
 who carry the umbrella and cling  to   
the back of the cardinal's coach1       
covered with shabby gold-lace and       
carpet-collars1 and looking like great  
beetles1 are really paid by  everybody  
rather than the padrone they serve4 ,but
 this is not confined  to the ,eminenze1
 many of whom are1 ,i dare say1 wholly  
ignorant that  such practices exist4    
,the servants of the embassies and all  
the  noble houses also make the circuit 
of the principal names on the           
visiting-list1 at stated occasions1 with
 good wishes for the family4 ,if  one   
rebel1 little care will be taken that   
letters1 cards1 and messages  arrive    
promptly at their destination in the    
palaces of their padroni2  so it is a   
universal habit to thank them for their 

politeness1 and to  request them to do  
you the favor to accept a piece of      
silver in order  to purchase a bottle of
 wine and drink your health4 ,i never   
knew one of  them refuse2 probably they 
would not consider it polite to do so4  
,it is  curious to observe the care with
 which at the embassies a new name is   
registered by the servants1 who scream  
it from anteroom to salon1 and  how     
considerately a deputation waits on you 
at ,christmas and ,new  ,year's1 or1    
indeed1 whenever you are about to leave 
,rome to take your  villeggiatura1 for  
the purpose of conveying to you the good
 wishes of  the season or of invoking   
for you a buon viaggio4 ,one young      
,roman1  a teacher of languages1 told me
 that it cost him annually some twenty  
scudi or more1 to convey to the servants
 of his pupils and others his  deep     
sense of the honor they did him in      
inquiring for his health at  stated     
times4 ,but this is a rare case1 and    
owing1 probably1 to his  peculiar       

position4 ,a physician in ,rome1 whom ,i
 had occasion to call in  for a slight  
illness1 took an opportunity on his     
first visit to put a  very considerable 
buona mano into the hands of my servant1
 in order to  secure future calls4 ,i   
cannot1 however1 say that this is       
customary2 on  the contrary1 it is the  
only case ,i know1 though ,i have had   
other ,roman  physicians2 and this man  
was in his habits and practice          
peculiarly  un-,roman4 ,i do not believe
 it1 therefore1 to be a ,roman trait4   
,on the  other hand1 ,i must say1 for my
 servant's credit1 that he told me the  
fact with a shrug1 and added1 that he   
could not1 after all1 recommend  the    
gentleman as a medico1 though ,i was    
padrone1 of course1 to do as  ,i liked4 
,on ,christmas ,eve1 a ,presepio is     
exhibited in several of the churches4   
,the most splendid is that of the ,ara  
,celi1 where the miraculous ,bambino  is
 kept4 ,it lasts from ,christmas to     
,twelfth ,night1 during which period    

crowds of people flock to see it2 and it
 well repays a visit4 ,the simple       
meaning of the term ,presepio is a      
manger1 but it is also used in the      
,church to signify a representation of  
the birth of ,christ4 ,in the ,ara      
,celi the whole of one of the           
side-chapels is devoted to this         
exhibition4  ,in the foreground is a    
grotto1 in which is seated the ,virgin  
,mary1 with  ,joseph at her side and the
 miraculous ,bambino in her lap4        
,immediately  behind are an ass and an  
ox4 ,on one side kneel the shepherds and
 kings  in adoration2 and above1 ,god   
the ,father is seen surrounded by clouds
 of  cherubs and angels playing on      
instruments1 as in the early pictures of
  ,raphael4 ,in the background is a     
scenic representation of a pastoral     
landscape1 on which all the skill of the
 scene-painter is expended4  ,shepherds 
guard their flocks far away1 reposing   
under palm-trees or  standing on green  
slopes which glow in the sunshine4 ,the 

distances and  perspective are          
admirable4 ,in the middle ground is a   
crystal fountain of  glass1 near which  
sheep1 preternaturally white1 and made  
of real wool  and cotton-wool1 are      
feeding1 tended by figures of shepherds 
carved in  wood4 ,still nearer come     
women bearing great baskets of real     
oranges and  other fruits on their      
heads4 ,all the nearer figures are      
full-sized1  carved in wood1 painted1   
and dressed in appropriate robes4 ,the  
miraculous ,bambino is a painted doll   
swaddled in a white dress1 which is     
crusted over with magnificent diamonds1 
emeralds1 and rubies4 ,the ,virgin  also
 wears in her ears superb diamond       
pendants4 ,joseph has none2 but he  is  
not a person peculiarly respected in the
 ,church4 ,as far as the ,virgin  and   
,child are concerned1 they are so richly
 dressed that the presents of  the kings
 and wise men seem rather               
supererogatory1--like carrying coals  to
 ,newcastle1--unless1 indeed1 ,joseph   

come in for a share1 as it is to  be    
hoped he does4 ,the general effect of   
this scenic show is admirable1  and     
crowds flock to it and press about it   
all day long4 ,mothers and  fathers are 
lifting their little children as high as
 they can1 and until  their arms are    
ready to break2 little maids are        
pushing1 whispering1  and staring in    
great delight2 contadini are gaping at  
it with a mute  wonderment of admiration
 and devotion2 and ,englishmen are      
discussing  loudly the value of the     
jewels1 and wanting to know1 by ,jove1  
whether  those in the crown can be real4
    ,while this is taking place on one  
side of the church1 on the other is a   
very different and quite as singular an 
exhibition4 ,around one of the  antique 
columns of this basilica--which once    
beheld the splendors and  crimes of the 
,caesars' palace--a staging is erected1 
from which little  maidens are reciting1
 with every kind of pretty              
gesticulation1 sermons1  dialogues1 and 

speechifications1 in explanation of the 
,presepio  opposite4 ,sometimes two of  
them are engaged in alternate question  
and  answer about the mysteries of the  
,incarnation and the ,redemption4       
,sometimes the recitation is a piteous  
description of the agony of the         
,saviour and the sufferings of the      
,madonna1--the greatest stress being1   
however1 always laid upon the latter4   
,all these little speeches have  been   
written for them by their priest or some
 religious friend1 been  committed to   
memory1 and practised with the          
appropriate gestures over  and over     
again at home4 ,their little piping     
voices are sometimes guilty  of such    
comic breaks and changes1 that the crowd
 about them rustles into  a murmurous   
laughter4 ,sometimes also one of the    
very little preachers  has a dispitto1  
pouts1 shakes her shoulders1 and refuses
 to go on with  her part2--another1     
however1 always stands ready on the     
platform to  supply the vacancy1 until  

friends have coaxed1 reasoned1 or       
threatened  the little pouter into      
obedience4 ,these children are often    
very  beautiful and graceful1 and their 
comical little gestures and             
intonations1 their clasping of hands and
 rolling up of eyes1 have a very        
amusing and interesting effect4 ,the    
last time ,i was there1 ,i was sorry  to
 see that the ,french costume had begun 
to make its appearance4 ,instead  of the
 handsome ,roman head1 with its dark1   
shining1 braided hair1 which  is so     
elegant when uncovered1 ,i saw on two of
 the children the deforming  bonnet1    
which could have been invented only to  
conceal a defect1 and  which is never   
endurable1 unless it be perfectly fresh1
 delicate1 and  costly4 ,nothing is so  
vulgar as a shabby bonnet4 ,yet the     
,romans1 despite  their dislike of the  
,french1 are beginning to wear it4 ,ten 
years ago it  did not exist here among  
the common people4 ,i know not why it is
 that  the three ugliest pieces of      

costume ever invented1 the dress-coat1  
the  trousers1 and the bonnet1 all of   
which we owe to the ,french1 have been  
accepted all over ,europe1 to the       
exclusion of every national costume4    
,certainly it is not because they are   
either useful1 elegant1 or              
commodious4,b    ,footnote ,b3 ,that    
cultivated gentleman1 ,john ,evelyn1 two
 centuries ago  wrote some amusing words
 on this subject4 ,after quoting the    
witty saying  of ,malvezzi1--,i         
vestimenti negli animali sono molto     
securi segni della  loro natura1 negli  
nomini del lor cervello1--he goes on to 
say1 ,be it  excusable in the ,french to
 alter and impose the mode on others1   
'tis  no less a weakness and a shame in 
the rest of the world1 who have no      
dependence on them1 to admit them1 at   
least to that degree of levity as  to   
turn into all their shapes without      
discrimination2 so as when the  freak   
takes our ,monsieurs to appear like so  
many farces or ,jack ,puddings  on the  

stage1 all the world should alter shape 
and play the pantomimes  with them4     
,methinks a ,french tailor1 with an ell 
in his hand1 looks like  the enchantress
 ,circe over the companions of ,ulysses1
 and changes them  into as many         
forms4444 ,something ,i would indulge to
 youth2 something to  age and humor4    
,but what have we to do with these      
foreign butterflies8 ,in  ,god's name1  
let the change be our own1 not borrowed 
of others2 for why  should ,i dance     
after a ,monsieur's flageolet1 that have
 a set of ,english  viols for my        
concert8 ,we need no ,french inventions 
for the stage or for  the back4--,from a
 pamphlet entitled ,tyrannus1 or the    
,mode4    ,si le costume bourgeois1 says
 ,george ,sand1 in ,le ,pch de ,m4      
,antoine1 de notre poque est le plus    
triste1 le plus incommode et  le plus   
disgracieux1 que la mode ait jamais     
invent1 c'est surtout au  milieu des    
champs que tous ses inconvnients et     
toutes ses laideurs  rvoltent4444 ,au   

milieu de ce cadre austre et grandiose1 
qui transporte  l'imagination au temps  
de la posie primitive1 apparaisse cette 
mouche  parasite1 le monsieur aux habits
 noirs1 au menton ras1 aux mains        
gantes1 aux jambes maladroites1 et ce   
roi de la socit n'est plus  qu'un       
accident ridicule1 une tche importune   
dans le tableau4 ,votre  costume gnant  
et disparate inspire alors la piti plus 
que les haillons  du pauvre1 on sent que
 vous tes dplac au grand air1 et que    
votre  livre vous crase4    ,if one     
visit the ,ara ,celi during the         
afternoon of one of these festas1  the  
scene is very striking4 ,the flight of  
one hundred and twenty-four  steps1     
which once led to the temple of ,venus  
and ,rome1 is then thronged  by         
merchants of ,madonna wares1 who spread 
them out over the steps and  hang them  
against the walls and balustrades4 ,here
 are to be seen all  sorts of curious   
little colored prints of the ,madonna   
and ,child of the  most ordinary        

quality1 little bags1 pewter medals1 and
 crosses stamped  with the same figures 
and to be worn on the neck1--all offered
 at once  for the sum of one baiocco4   
,here also are framed pictures of the   
,saints1 of the ,nativity1 and1 in a    
word1 of all sorts of religious         
subjects appertaining to the season4    
,little wax dolls1 clad in  cotton-wool 
to represent the ,saviour1 and sheep    
made of the same  materials1 are also   
sold by the basketful4 ,children and    
contadine are  busy buying them1 and    
there is a deafening roar all up and    
down the  steps of ,mezzo baiocco1 bello
 colorito1 mezzo baiocco1 la            
,santissima ,concezione                 
,incoronata1--,diario ,romano1 ,lunario 
,romano  ,nuovo1--,ritratto colorito1   
medaglia e quadruccio1 un baiocco tutti1
  un baiocco tutti1--,bambinelli di     
cera1 un baiocco4,c ,none of  the prices
 are higher than one baiocco1 except to 
strangers1--and  generally several      
articles are held up together1          

enumerated1 and  proffered with a loud  
voice for this sum4 ,meanwhile men1     
women1  children1 priests1 beggars1     
soldiers1 and villani are crowding up   
and  down1 and we crowd with them4      
,footnote ,c3 ,a half-baiocco1          
beautifully colored1--a half-baiocco1   
the ,holy ,conception ,crowned4 ,roman  
,diary1--,new ,roman ,almanac4  ,colored
 portrait1 medal1 and little picture1   
one baiocco1 all4  ,little children in  
wax1 one baiocco4    ,at last1          
ascending1 we reach the door which faces
 towards the west4  ,we lift the great  
leathern curtain and push into the      
church4 ,a faint  perfume of incense    
salutes the nostrils4 ,the golden sunset
 bursts in as  the curtain sways        
forward1 illuminates the mosaic floor1  
catches on the  rich golden ceiling1 and
 flashes here and there over the crowd  
on some  brilliant costume or shaven    
head4 ,all sorts of people are thronging
  there1--some kneeling before the      
shrine of the ,madonna1 which gleams    

with its hundreds of silver votive      
hearts1 legs1 and arms1--some  listening
 to the preaching1--some crowding round 
the chapel of the  ,presepio1--old      
women1 haggard and wrinkled1 come       
tottering along with  their scaldini of 
coals1 drop down on their knees to pray1
 and1 as you  pass1 interpolate in their
 prayers a parenthesis of begging4 ,the 
church  is not architecturally handsome2
 but it is eminently picturesque1 with  
its relics of centuries1 its mosaic     
pulpits and floor1 its frescoes of      
,pinturicchio and ,pesaro1 its antique  
columns1 its rich golden ceiling1  its  
,gothic mausoleum to the ,savelli1 and  
its medieval tombs4 ,a dim1  dingy look 
is over all1--but it is the dimness of  
faded splendor2 and  one cannot stand   
there1 knowing the history of the       
church1 its exceeding  antiquity1 and   
the changes it has undergone since it   
was a ,roman temple1  without a peculiar
 sense of interest and pleasure4    ,it 
was here that ,romulus1 in the gray     

dawning of ,rome1 built the temple  of  
,jupiter ,feretrius4 ,here the spolia   
opima were deposited4 ,here the         
triumphal processions of the ,emperors  
and generals ended4 ,here the  victors  
paused before making their vows1 until  
the message came from  the ,mamertine   
,prisons below to announce that their   
noblest prisoner and  victim1 while the 
clang of their triumph and his defeat   
rose ringing in  his ears as the        
procession ascended the steps1 had      
expiated with death  the crime of being 
the enemy of ,rome4 ,over these very    
steps1--nineteen  centuries ago1 the    
first great ,caesar climbed on his knees
 after his  first triumph4 ,at their    
base1 ,rienzi1 last of the ,roman       
tribunes1  fell4 ,and1 if the tradition 
of the ,church is to be trusted1 it was 
on  the site of the present high altar  
that ,augustus erected the ,ara         
primogenito ,dei to commemorate the     
,delphic prophecy of the coming of  our 
,saviour4 ,standing on a spot so        

thronged with memories1 the dullest     
imagination takes fire4 ,the forms and  
scenes of the past rise from their      
graves and pass before us1 and the      
actual and visionary are mingled        
together in strange poetic confusion4   
,truly1 as ,walpole says1 memory  sees  
more than our eyes in this country4     
,and this is one great charm of         
,rome1--that it animates the dead       
figures  of its history4 ,on the spot   
where they lived and acted1 the ,caesars
  change from the manikins of books to  
living men2 and ,virgil1 ,horace1 and   
,cicero grow to be realities1 as we walk
 down the ,sacred ,way and over  the    
very pavement they may once have trod4  
,the conversations ,de ,claris          
,oratoribus and the ,tusculan ,questions
 seem like the talk of the last         
generation1 as we wander on the heights 
of ,tusculum1 or over the grounds  of   
that charming villa on the banks of the 
,liris1 which the great ,roman  orator  
so graphically describes in his treatise

 ,de ,legibus4 ,the  landscape of       
,horace has not changed4 ,still in the  
winter you may see  the dazzling peak of
 the gelidus ,algidus and ut alta stet  
nive candidum ,soracte2 and wandering at
 ,tivoli in the summer1 his             
description1      ,domus ,albuneae      
resonantis1    ,et praeceps ,anio1 et   
,tiburni lucus1 et uda    ,mobililius   
pomaria rivis1    is as true and fresh  
as if his words were of yesterday4      
,could one better  his compliment to any
 ,roman ,lalage of to-day than to call  
her dulce  ridentem8 ,in all its losses1
 ,rome has not lost the sweet smile of  
its  people4 ,would you like to know the
 modern rules for agriculture in ,rome1 
read the ,georgics2 there is so little  
to alter1 that it is not worth          
mentioning4 ,so1 too1 at ,rome1 the     
,emperors become as familiar as the     
,popes4 ,who does not know the          
curly-headed ,marcus ,aurelius1 with his
  lifted brow and projecting eyes1 from 
the full1 round beauty of his  youth to 

the more haggard look of his latest     
years8 ,are there any modern  portraits 
more familiar than the pensive1         
wedge-like head of ,augustus1  with his 
sharp-cut lips and nose1--or the dull   
phiz of ,hadrian1 with his  hair combed 
down over his low forehead1--or the     
vain1 perking face of  ,lucius ,verus1  
with his thin nose1 low brow1 and       
profusion of curls1--or  the brutal bull
 head of ,caracalla1--or the bestial1   
bloated features of  ,vitellius8        
,these men1 who were but lay-figures to 
us at school1 mere pegs of names  to    
hang historic robes upon1 thus          
interpreted by the living history of    
their portraits1 the incidental         
illustrations of the places where they  
lived and moved and died1 and the       
buildings and monuments they erected1   
become like the men of yesterday4 ,art  
has made them our contemporaries4  ,they
 are as near to us as ,pius ,,vii4 and  
,napoleon4 ,i never drive out  of the   
old ,nomentan ,gate without remembering 

the ghastly flight of  ,nero1--his      
recognition there by an old             
centurion1--his damp1 drear             
hiding-place underground1 where1        
shuddering and quoting ,greek1 he waited
  for his executioners1--and his        
subsequent terrible and cowardly death1 
as narrated by ,tacitus and ,suetonius2 
and it seems nearer to me1 more  vivid1 
and more actual1 than the death of      
,rossi in the court of the              
,cancelleria4 ,i never drive by the     
,caesars' palaces1 without recalling    
the ghastly jest of ,tiberius1 when he  
sent for some fifteen of the  ,senators 
at dead of night and commanded their    
presence2 and when they1  trembling with
 fear1 and expecting nothing less than  
that their heads  were all to fall1 had 
been kept waiting for an hour1 the door 
opened1  and he1 nearly naked1 appeared 
with a fiddle in his hand1 and1 after   
fiddling and dancing to his quaking     
audience for an hour1 dismissed them  to
 their homes uninjured4 ,the air seems  

to keep a sort of spiritual  scent or   
trail of these old deeds1 and to make   
them more real here than  elsewhere4    
,the old horrors of the ,amphitheatre   
can be made real to any  person of      
imaginative mind in the ,colosseum4 ,he 
has but to lend himself  to the         
contagion of the place1 and he will see 
the circle of ten  thousand eager eyes  
thirsting for his blood1 fill up the    
ruined benches  and arched tiers as of  
yore1 and hear the savage murmur of     
human voices1  worse than the dull roar 
of the beasts below4 ,the past still    
lives in  these old walls4 ,it is in    
vain to say that the ghosts of history  
do not  haunt their ancient habitations4
 ,places1 as well as persons1 have lives
  and influences2 and the horror of     
murder will not away from a spot4       
,haunted by its crimes1 oppressed and   
debilitated by the fierce excesses  of  
its ,empire1 ,rome1 silent1 grave1 and  
meditative1 sighs over its past1        
wrapped in the penitent robes of the    

,church4    ,besides1 here one feels    
that the modern ,romans are only the    
children of  their ancient fathers1 with
 the same characteristics1--softened1   
indeed1  and worn down by time1 just as 
the sharp traits of the old marbles have
  worn away2 but still the same         
people1--proud1 passionate1 lazy1       
jealous1  vindictive1 easy1 patient1 and
 able4 ,the ,popes are but ,church      
pictures of the ,emperors1--a different 
robe1 but the same nature               
beneath2--,alexander the ,,vi4 was but a
 second ,tiberius--,pius the ,,vii41  a 
modern ,augustus4 ,when ,i speak of the 
,roman people1 ,i do not mean the  class
 of hangers-on upon the foreigners1 but 
the ,trasteverini and the  inhabitants  
of the provinces and mountains4 ,no one 
can go through the  ,trastevere when the
 people are roused1 without feeling that
 they are the  same as those who        
listened to ,marcus ,antonius and       
,brutus1 when the bier  of ,caesar was  
brought into the streets1--and as those 

who fought with  the ,colonna and       
stabbed ,rienzi at the foot of the      
,capitol steps4 ,the  ,ciceruacchio of  
'#dh was but an ancient ,tribune of the 
,people1 in the  primitive sense of that
 title4 ,i like1 too1 to parallel the   
anecdote of  ,caius ,marius1 when1 after
 his ruin1 he concealed himself in the  
marshes1  and astonished his captors1   
who expected to find him weak of heart1 
by  the magnificent self-assertion of ,i
 am ,caius ,marius1 with the story      
which is told of ,stefano ,colonna4     
,after this great captain met with his  
sad reverses1 and1 deprived of all his  
possessions1 fled from ,rome1 an        
attendant asked him1--,what fortress    
have you now8 ,he placed his hand  on   
his heart and answered1--,eccola6 ,the  
same blood evidently ran in  the veins  
of both these men2 and well might       
,petrarca call ,colonna a  phoenix risen
 from the ashes of the ancient ,romans4 
,but1 somehow or other1 ,i have wandered
 strangely from my subject4             

,scusi1--but what has all this to do    
with the ,bambino8    ,the ,santissimo  
,bambino is a very round-faced and      
expressionless doll1  carved1 as the    
legend goes1 from a tree on the ,mount  
of ,olives1 by a  ,franciscan pilgrim1  
and painted by ,saint ,luke while the   
pilgrim slept4  ,it is difficult to say 
which was the worse artist of the two1  
the  sculptor or the painter4 ,but      
,saint ,luke's pictures generally do not
  give us a high idea of his skill as a 
painter4 ,the legend is a  charming     
anachronism1 unless1 indeed1 ,saint     
,luke was only a spiritual              
presence2--but1 as the whole incident   
was miraculous1 the greater the         
anachronism1 the greater the miracle4   
,the ,bambino1 however he came into     
existence1 is invested1 according to the
 assertions of priests and the  belief  
of the common people1 with wonderful    
powers in curing the sick2  and his     
practice is as lucrative as any         
physician's in ,rome4 ,his aid is  in   

constant requisition in severe cases1   
and certain it is that a cure  not      
unfrequently follows upon his visit2 but
 as the regular physicians  always cease
 their attendance upon his entrance1 and
 blood-letting  and calomel are         
consequently intermitted1 perhaps the   
cure is not so  miraculous as it might  
at first seem4 ,he is borne by the      
priests in  state to his patients2 and  
during the ,triumvirate of '#di1 the    
,pope's  carriage was given to him and  
his attendants4 ,i was assured by the   
priest who exhibited him to me at the   
church1 that1 on one occasion1  having  
been stolen by some irreverent hand from
 his ordinary  abiding-place in one of  
the side-chapels1 he returned alone1 by 
himself1  at night1 to console his      
guardians and to resume his functions4  
,great  honors are paid to him4 ,he     
wears jewels which a ,colonna might     
envy1  and not a square inch of his body
 is without a splendid gem4 ,on festal  
occasions1 like ,christmas1 he wears a  

coronet as brilliant as the  triple     
crown of the ,pope1 and1 lying in the   
,madonna's arms in the  representation  
of the ,nativity1 he is adored by the   
people until  ,epiphany4 ,then1 after   
the performance of ,mass1 a procession  
of priests1  accompanied by a band of   
music1 makes the tour of the church and 
proceeds to the chapel of the ,presepio1
 where the bishop1 with great           
solemnity1 removes him from his         
,mother's arms4 ,at this moment1 the    
music  bursts forth into a triumphant   
march1 a jubilant strain over the birth 
of ,christ1 and he is borne through the 
doors of the church to the great  steps4
 ,there the bishop elevates the ,holy   
,bambino before the crowds  who throng  
the steps1 and they fall upon their     
knees4 ,this is thrice  repeated1 and   
the wonderful image is then conveyed to 
its original  chapel1 and the ceremony  
is over4    ,the ,eve of ,epiphany1 or  
,twelfth-,night1 is to the children of  
,rome what  ,christmas ,eve is to us4   

,it is then that the ,bifana comes with 
her  presents4 ,this personage is       
neither merry nor male1 like ,santa     
,claus1  nor beautiful and childlike1   
like ,christ-kindchen1--but is described
 as  a very tall1 dark woman1 ugly1 and 
rather terrible1 d' una fisionomia      
piuttosto imponente who comes down the  
chimney1 on the ,eve of  ,epiphany1     
armed with a long canna and shaking a   
bell1 to put  playthings into the       
stockings of the good children1 and bags
 of ashes  into those of the bad4 ,it is
 a night of fearful joy for all the     
little  ones4 ,when they hear her bell  
ring1 they shake in their sheets2 for   
the  ,bifana is used as a threat to the 
wilful1 and their hope is tempered by  a
 wholesome apprehension4 ,it is supposed
 to be a distorted image of the  visit  
of the kings and wise men with their    
presents at the ,nativity1 as  ,santa   
,claus may be of the shepherds1 and the 
,christ-kindchen of ,christ  himself4   
,however this may be1 it is curious to  

observe the different  characters this  
superstition assumes among different    
nations and under  different influences4
    ,the great festival of the ,bifana  
7a corruption1 undoubtedly1 of          
,epifania7 takes place on the ,eve of   
,twelfth-,night1 in the ,piazza di  ,san
 ,eustachio1--and a curious spectacle it
 is4 ,the ,piazza itself1 7which  is    
situated in the centre of the city1 just
 beyond the ,pantheon17 and  all the    
adjacent streets1 are lined with booths 
covered with every kind  of plaything   
for children4 ,most of these are of     
,roman make1 very rudely  fashioned1 and
 very cheap2 but for those who have     
longer purses1 there  are not wanting   
heaps of ,german and ,french toys4      
,these booths are gayly  illuminated    
with rows of candles and the            
three-wicked brass lucerne  of ,rome2   
and1 at intervals1 painted posts are set
 into the pavement1  crowned with pans  
of grease1 with a wisp of tow for wick1 
which blaze  and flare about4 ,besides  

these1 numbers of torches carried about 
by hand  lend a wavering and picturesque
 light to the scene4 ,by eight o'clock  
in  the evening1 crowds begin to fill   
the ,piazza and the adjacent streets4   
,long before one arrives1 the squeak of 
penny-trumpets is heard at  intervals2  
but in the ,piazza itself the mirth is  
wild and furious1 and  the din that     
salutes one's ears on entering is almost
 deafening4 ,the  object of every one is
 to make as much noise as possible1 and 
every kind  of instrument for this      
purpose is sold at the booths4 ,there   
are  drums beating1 tamburelli thumping 
and jingling1 pipes squeaking1          
watchmen's-rattles clacking1            
penny-trumpets and tin horns shrilling1 
and  the sharpest whistles shrieking    
everywhere4 ,besides this1 there are the
  din of voices1 screams of laughter1   
and the confused burr and buzz of  a    
great crowd4 ,on all sides you are      
saluted by the strangest noises4        
,instead of being spoken to1 you are    

whistled at4 ,companies of people are   
marching together in platoons1 or       
piercing through the crowd in long      
files1 and dancing and blowing like mad 
on their instruments4 ,it is a  perfect 
witches' ,sabbath4 ,here1 huge dolls    
dressed as ,polichinello or  ,pantaloon 
are borne about for sale1--or over the  
heads of the crowd  great black-faced   
jumping-jacks1 lifted on a stick1 twitch
 themselves in  fantastic fits1--or1    
what is more ,roman than all1 men carry 
about long  poles strung with rings of  
hundreds of giambelli1 7a light cake1   
called jumble in ,english17 which they  
scream for sale at a mezzo  baiocco     
each4 ,there is no alternative but to   
get a drum1 whistle1 or  trumpet1 and   
join in the racket1--and to fill one's  
pockets with toys  for the children and 
absurd presents for one's older friends4
 ,the moment  you are once in for it1   
and making as much noise as you can1 you
 begin  to relish the jest4 ,the toys   
are very odd1--particularly the ,roman  

whistles2--some of these are made of    
pewter1 with a little wheel that  whirls
 as you blow2 others are of terra-cotta1
 very rudely modelled into  every shape 
of bird1 beast1 and human deformity1    
each with a whistle in  its head1       
breast1 or tail1 which it is no joke to 
hear1 when blown close  to your ears by 
a stout pair of lungs4 ,the scene is    
very picturesque4  ,above1 the dark     
vault of night1 with its far stars1 the 
blazing and  flaring of lights below1   
and the great1 dark walls of the        
,sapienza and  ,church looking grimly   
down upon the mirth4 ,everywhere in the 
crowd are  the glistening helmets of    
soldiers1 who are mixing in the sport1  
and the  chapeaux of white-strapped     
gendarmes1 standing at intervals to keep
  the peace4 ,at about half-past eleven 
o'clock the theatres are emptied1  and  
the upper classes flock to the ,piazza4 
,i have never been there later  than    
half-past twelve1 but the riotous fun   
still continued at that hour2  and1 for 

a week afterwards1 the squeak of        
whistles may be heard at  intervals in  
the streets4    ,at the two periods of  
,christmas and ,easter1 the young ,roman
 girls take  their first communion4 ,the
 former1 however1 is generally          
preferred1 as  it is a season of        
rejoicing in the ,church1 and the       
ceremonies are not so  sad as at        
,easter4 ,in entering upon this         
religious phase of their life1  it is   
their custom to retire to a convent1 and
 pass a week in prayer and  reciting the
 offices of the ,church4 ,during this   
period1 no friend1 not  even their      
parents1 are allowed to visit them1 and 
information as to  their health and     
condition is very reluctantly and       
sparingly given at  the door4 ,in case  
of illness1 the physician of the convent
 is called2  and even then neither      
parent is allowed to see them1 except1  
perhaps1 in  very severe cases4 ,of     
course1 during their stay in the        
convent1 every  exertion is made by the 

sisters to render a monastic life       
agreeable1 and  to stimulate the        
religious sensibilities of the young    
communicant4 ,the  pleasures of society 
and the world are decried1 and the      
charms of  peace1 devotion1 and         
spiritual exercises eulogized1 until the
 excited  imagination of the communicant
 leaves her no rest1 before she has     
returned to the convent and taken the   
veil as a nun4 ,the happiness of        
families is thus sometimes destroyed2   
and ,i knew one very united and         
pleasant ,roman family which in this way
 was sadly broken up4 ,two of  three    
sisters were so worked upon at their    
first communion1 that the  prayers of   
family and friends proved unavailing to 
retain them in their  home4 ,the more   
they were urged to remain1 the more they
 desired to go1  and the parents1       
brothers1 and remaining sister were     
forced to yield a  most reluctant       
consent4 ,they retired into the convent 
and became nuns4  ,it was almost as if  

they had died4 ,from that time forward1 
the home  was no longer a home4 ,i saw  
them when they took the veil1 and a     
sadder  spectacle was not easily to be  
seen4 ,the girls were happy1 but the    
parents and family wretched1 and the    
parting was very tearful and sad4  ,they
 do not seem since to have regretted the
 step they then took2  but regret would 
be unavailing--and even if they felt it1
 they could  scarcely show it4 ,the     
occupation of the sisters in the        
monastery they  have joined is prayers1 
the offices of the ,church1 and1 ,i     
believe1 a  little instruction of poor  
children4 ,but gossip among themselves1 
of the  pettiest kind1 must make up for 
the want of wider worldly interests4 ,in
  such limited relations1 little        
jealousies engender great hypocrisies2  
a restricted horizon enlarges small     
objects4 ,the repressed heart and       
introverted mind1 deprived of their     
natural scope1 consume themselves in    
self-consciousness1 and duties easily   

degenerate into routine4 ,we are  not   
all in all to ourselves2 the world has  
claims upon us1 which it is  cowardice  
to shrink from1 and folly to deny4      
,self-forgetfulness is  a great virtue1 
and selfishness a great vice4 ,after    
all1 the best  religious service is     
worthy occupation4 ,large interests keep
 the heart  sound2 and the best of      
prayers is the doing of a good act with 
a pure  purpose4      ,he prayeth best  
who loveth best    ,all things1 both    
great and small2    ,for the dear ,god  
who loveth us1    ,he made and loveth   
all4          ,,abdel-,,hassan4         
,the compensations of calamity are made 
apparent after long intervals of        
time4    ,the sure years reveal the deep
 remedial force that underlies all fact4
     --,,emerson4        ,abdel-,hassan 
o'er the ,desert journeyed with his     
caravan1--    ,many a richly laden      
camel1 many a faithful serving-man4     
,and before the haughty master bowed    
alike the man and beast2    ,for the    

power of ,abdel-,hassan was the wonder  
of the ,east4      ,it was now the      
twelfth day's journey1 but its closing  
did not bring    ,abdel-,hassan and his 
servants to the long-expected spring4   
,from the ancient line of travel they   
had wandered far away1    ,and at       
evening1 faint and weary1 on a waste of 
,desert lay4      ,fainting men and     
famished camels stretched them round the
 master's tent2    ,for the water-skins 
were empty1 and the dates were nearly   
spent4      ,all the night1 as          
,abdel-,hassan on the ,desert lay apart1
    ,nothing broke the lifeless silence 
but the throbbing of his heart2         
,all the night he heard it beating1     
while his sleepless1 anxious eyes       
,watched the shining constellations     
wheeling onward through the skies4      
,when the glowing orbs1 receding1 paled 
before the coming day1    ,abdel-,hassan
 called his servants and devoutly knelt 
to pray4      ,then his words were few  
and solemn to the leader of his train3--

    ,thirty men and eighty camels1      
,haroun1 in thy care remain4      ,keep 
the beasts and guard the treasure till  
the needed aid ,i bring4    ,god is     
great6 ,his name is mighty6--,i1 alone1 
will seek the spring4      ,mounted on  
his strongest camel1 ,abdel-,hassan rode
 away1    ,while his faithful followers 
watched him passing1 in the blaze of    
day1      ,like a speck upon the        
,desert1 like a moving human hand1      
,where the fiery skies were sweeping    
down to meet the burning sand4          
,passed he then their far horizon1 and  
beyond it rode alone2--    ,they alone1 
with ,arab patience1 lay within its     
flaming zone4      ,day by day the      
servants waited1 but the master never   
came1--    ,day by day1 in feebler      
accents1 called on ,allah's holy name4  
,one by one they killed the camels1     
loathing still the proffered food1      
,but in weakness or in frenzy slaked    
their burning thirst in blood4      ,on 
unheeded heaps of treasure rested each  

unconscious head2    ,while1 with pious 
care1 the dying struggled to entomb the 
dead4      ,so they perished4 ,gaunt    
with famine1 still did ,haroun's trusty 
hand    ,for his latest dead companion  
scoop sepulture in the sand4      ,then 
he died2 and pious ,nature1 where he lay
 so gaunt and grim1    ,moved by her    
divine compassion1 did the same kind    
thing for him4      ,earth upon her     
burning bosom held him in his final     
rest1    ,while the hot winds of the    
,desert piled the sand above his        
breast4--      ,onward in his fiery     
travel ,abdel-,hassan held his way1     
,yielding to the camel's instinct1      
halting not1 by night or day1           
',till the faithful beast1 exhausted in 
her fearful journey1 fell1    ,with her 
eye upon the palm-trees rising o'er the 
lonely well3      ,with a faint1        
convulsive struggle1 and a feeble moan1 
she died1    ,while her still surviving 
master lay unconscious by her side4     
,so he lay until the evening1 when a    

passing caravan    ,from the dead       
incumbering camel brought to life the   
dying man4      ,slowly murmured        
,abdel-,hassan1 as they bathed his      
fainting head1    ,all is lost1 for all 
have perished6--they are numbered with  
the dead6      ,i1 who had such power   
and treasure but a single moon ago1     
,now my life and poor subsistence to a  
stranger's bounty owe4      ,god is     
great6 ,his name is mighty6 ,he is      
victor in the strife6    ,stripped of   
pride and power and substance1 ,he hath 
left me faith      and life4--          
,sixty years had ,abdel-,hassan1 since  
the stranger's friendly hand    ,saved  
him from the burning ,desert1 lived and 
prospered in the land2      ,and his    
life of peaceful labor1 in its pure and 
simple ways1    ,for his loss fourfold  
returned him1 and a mighty length of    
days4      ,sixty years of faith and    
patience gave him wisdom's mural crown2 
,sons and daughters brought him honor   
with his riches and renown4      ,men   

beheld his reverend aspect1 and revered 
his blameless name2    ,and in peace he 
dwelt with strangers1 in the fulness of 
his fame4      ,but the heart of        
,abdel-,hassan yearned1 as yearns the   
heart of man1    ,still to die among his
 kindred1 ending life where it began4   
,so he summoned all his household1 and  
he gave the brief command1--    ,go and 
gather all our substance2--we depart    
from out the land4      ,then they      
journeyed to the ,desert with a great   
and numerous train1    ,to his old      
nomadic instinct trusting life and      
wealth again4      ,it was now the sixth
 day's journey1 when they met the moving
 sand1    ,on the great wind of the     
,desert1 driving o'er that arid land2   
,and the air was red and fervid with the
 ,simoom's fiery breath2--    ,none     
could see his nearest fellow in the     
stifling blast of death4      ,blinded  
men from prostrate camels piled the     
stores to windward round1    ,and within
 the barrier herded1 on the hot1        

unstable ground4      ,two whole days   
the great wind lasted1 when the living  
of the train    ,from the hot drifts dug
 the camels and resumed their way again4
      ,but the lines of care grew deeper
 on the master's swarthy cheek1         
,while around the weakest fainted and   
the strongest waxd weak2      ,and the  
water-skins were empty1 and a silent    
murmur ran    ,from the faint1          
bewildered servants through the         
straggling caravan3--      ,let the land
 we left be blessed6--that to which we  
go1 accurst6--    ,from our pleasant    
wells of water came we here to die of   
thirst8      ,but the master stilled the
 murmur with his steadfast1 quiet eye3--
    ,god is great1 he said1             
devoutly1--when ,he wills it1 we shall  
die4      ,as he spake1 he swept the    
,desert with his vision clear and calm1 
,and along the far horizon saw the green
 crest of the palm4      ,man and beast1
 with weak steps quickened1 hasted to   
the lonely well1    ,and around it1     

faint and panting1 in a grateful tumult 
fell4      ,many days they stayed and   
rested1 and amidst his fervent prayer   
,abdel-,hassan pondered deeply that     
strange bond which held him there4      
,then there came an aged stranger1      
journeying with his caravan2    ,and    
when each had each saluted1             
,abdel-,hassan thus began3--            
,knowest thou this well of water8 lies  
it on the travelled ways8    ,and he    
answered1--,from the highway thou art   
distant many days4      ,where thou     
seest this well of water1 where these   
thorns and      palm-trees stand1       
,once the ,desert swept unbroken in a   
waste of burning sand2      ,there was  
neither life nor herbage1 not a drop of 
water lay1    ,all along the arid valley
 where thou seest this well to-day4     
,sixty years have wrought their changes 
since a man of wealth      and pride1   
,with his servants and his camels1 here1
 amidst his riches1 died4      ,as we   
journeyed o'er the ,desert1 dead beneath

 the blazing sky1    ,here ,i saw them1 
beasts and masters1 in a common burial  
lie2      ,thirty men and eighty camels 
did the shrouding sand infold2    ,and  
we gathered up their treasure1 spices1  
precious stones1 and gold2      ,then we
 heaped the sand above them1 and1       
beneath the burning sun1    ,with a     
friendly care we finished what the winds
 had well begun4      ,still ,i hold    
that master's treasure1 and his record1 
and his name2    ,long ,i waited for his
 kindred1 but no kindred ever came4     
,time1 who beareth all things onward1   
hither bore our steps again1    ,when   
around this spot were scattered whitened
 bones of beasts and men2      ,and from
 out the heaving hillocks of the mingled
 sand and mould    ,lo6 the little palms
 were springing1 which to-day are great 
and old4      ,from the shrubs we held  
the camels2 for ,i felt that life of    
man1    ,breaking to new forms of being1
 through that tender herbage ran4       
,in the graves of men and camels long   

the dates unheeded lay1    ,till their  
germs of life commanded larger life from
 that decay2      ,and the falling dews1
 arrested1 nourished every tender shoot1
    ,while beneath1 the hidden moisture 
gathered to each wandering root4        
,so they grew2 and ,i have watched them1
 as we journeyed1 year by year2    ,and 
we digged this well beneath them1 where 
thou seest it1 fresh and      clear4    
,thus from waste and loss and sorrow    
still are joy and beauty born1    ,like 
the fruitage of these palm-trees and the
 blossom of the thorn2      ,life from  
death1 and good from evil6--from that   
buried caravan    ,springs the life to  
save the living1 many a weak1 despairing
 man4      ,as he ended1 ,abdel-,hassan1
 quivering through his aged frame1      
,asked1 in accents slow and broken1     
,knowest thou that master's name8       
,he was known as ,abdel-,hassan1 famed  
for wealth and power and pride2    ,but 
the proud have often fallen1 and1 as he1
 the great have died6      ,then1 upon  

the ground before them1 prostrate       
,abdel-,hassan fell1    ,with his aged  
hands extended1 trembling1 to the lonely
 well1--      ,and the sacred soil      
beneath him cast upon his hoary head1-- 
,named the servants and the             
camels1--summoned ,haroun from the      
dead1--      ,clutched the unconscious  
palms around him1 as if they were living
 men1--    ,and before him1 in their    
order1 rose his buried train again4     
,moved by pity1 spake the stranger1     
bending o'er him in his grief3--        
,what affects the man of sorrow8        
,speak1--for speaking is relief4        
,then he answered1 rising slowly to that
 aged stranger's knee1--    ,thou       
beholdest ,abdel-,hassan6 ,they were    
mine1 and ,i am he6      ,wondering1    
stood they all around him1 and a        
reverent silence kept1    ,while1 amidst
 them1 ,abdel-,hassan lifted up his     
voice and wept4      ,joy and grief1 and
 faith and triumph1 mingled in his      
flowing tears2    ,refluent on his      

patient spirit rolled the tide of sixty 
years4      ,as the past and present    
blended1 lo6 his larger vision saw1     
,in his own life's compensation1        
,nature's universal law4      ,god is   
good1 ,o reverend stranger6 ,he hath    
taught me of ,his ways1    ,by this     
great and crowning lesson1 in the       
evening of my days4      ,keep the      
treasure1--,i have plenty1--and am      
richer that ,i see    ,life ascend1     
through change and evil1 to that perfect
 life to be1--      ,in each woe a      
blessing folded1 from all loss a greater
 gain1    ,joy and hope from fear and   
sorrow1 rest and peace from toil and    
pain4      ,god is great6 ,his name is  
mighty6 ,he is victor in the strife6    
,for ,he bringeth ,good from ,evil1 and 
from ,death commandeth ,life6           
,,about ,,spires4      ,when the        
children of ,shem said one to another at
 ,babel1--,go to1 let us  build us a    
city and a tower whose top shall reach  
unto heaven1 they  typified a remarkable

 trait of the human mind1--a desire for 
a tangible  and material exponent of    
itself in its most heroic moods4 ,in the
 earlier  ages of the world1 when       
humanity1 as it were1 was becoming      
conscious of  itself and its godlike    
energies1 it seems as if this desire    
could find  no nobler expression than in
 towers4 ,the same spirit of enterprise 
which  in our own day stretches forth   
inquiring hands into unexplored realms  
of  physical and intellectual being1 and
 acknowledges in the spoils of such     
search its noblest and proudest         
attainments1 in more primeval times     
appears to have been content with the   
actual and visible invasion of  high    
building into that sky which to them was
 the great type of the  unknown and     
mysterious4    ,the birth of these      
structures was not of the practical     
necessities of  life1 but of that fond  
desire of the soul which has ever       
haunted  mankind with intimations of    
immortality4 ,towers thus became the    

boldest  imaginable symbols of energy   
and power4 ,and when1 in the course of  
time1  they became exigencies of        
society1 and familiarized by the idea of
  usefulness1 even then they could not  
but be recognized as expressions of  the
 more heroic elements of human nature4  
,founded in superabundant massiveness1  
and built in prodigality of  strength1  
the tower seems to defy the elements and
 to outlive tradition4  ,old age        
restores it to more than its primeval   
significance2 and when  humbler         
erections have passed away and crumbled 
in ruins1 it appears  once more to rise 
above the customary uses of men1 and to 
become a  companion for tempests and    
clouds4 ,dismantled1 deserted1 and      
bearing1      ,inscribed upon its       
visionary sides1    ,this history of    
many a winter's storm1    ,and obscure  
record of the path of fire1    ,nature  
lays claim to it1 and with moss and ivy 
and eld1 with weeds and  flowers1 she   
takes it to her bosom4      ,dying      

insensibly away    ,from human thoughts 
and purposes1    we at length associate 
it with no achievements of man1 and its 
masonry  becomes venerable to us1 as    
shaped by mysterious beings1--,ghouls or
  ,titans1--no fellow-workers of ours4  
,let us for a while forget the tedious  
realisms around us1 and eat of the      
dreamy ,lotos4 ,let us look eastward    
over the wide waters1 and behold1  along
 the horizon1 the dim rich cities       
printing themselves against the         
morning4 ,let us listen to their mellow 
chimes that come faintly to us1  and    
bless those deep-toned utterances so    
full of the tenderness of  ancient days 
and the melody of gray traditions4 ,let 
us bless them2 for1  like lyres of      
,amphion1 at their sound arose the      
bell-bearing tower1  which made cities  
beautiful and their people happy4 ,o    
,st4 ,chrysostom6  there were other     
golden mouths than thine that preached  
by the  ,bosphorus1 and their pulpits   
were the airy chambers of the first     

,christian towers4 ,where the muezzin   
every hour from the lofty minaret  now  
calls the faithful ,mahometan to prayer1
 were first heard those matin  and      
vesper chimes which since then          
throughout ,catholic ,europe have       
accompanied the rising and the setting  
of the sun4 ,thus the ,christian  tower 
immediately becomes associated with the 
tenderest and most  poetical ideas of   
monastic and pastoral religion4 ,it     
seemed emulous from  the beginning to be
 the first to catch the beams of        
morning1 and1 like  the statue of       
,memnon1 to respond to the golden touch 
by sounds of music4  ,then the fervid   
heart of ,italy took fire1 and from her 
bosom uprose over  all her cities the   
beautiful campanile4 ,still and solemn  
it stood on  the plains of ,lombardy1   
like a sentinel on the outskirts of our 
faith1  whispering to the vast of space 
that all was well4 ,over the lagunes of 
,venice the weary toil of two centuries 
piled up the tower of ,st4 ,mark4       

,ravenna1 with barbaric pride1 built her
 round-cinctured towers to the  glory of
 the ,exarchate4 ,rome followed with her
 square campaniles1 whose  arcaded      
chambers looked down on a hundred       
cloisters4 ,then there were  ,la        
,ghirlandina at ,modena1 ,il ,torazzo at
 ,cremona1 ,torre della ,mangia at      
,siena1 the ,garisenda at ,bologna1 the 
,leaning ,tower at ,pisa4 ,everywhere   
they sought the skies with emulous      
heights1 and ere long they arose in     
such number as to give a distinctive    
aspect to the ,christian city1 and  to  
warn the traveller from afar that he    
approached walls within which  religion 
was a pride and a power4 ,who has not   
admired the ,giotto  ,campanile1 called 
the ,beautiful1 at ,florence8 ,and who  
has not wondered  at the splendor of her
 citizens1 whose command was1 to        
construct an  edifice whose magnificence
 should be beyond the conception even of
  the cognoscenti1 and whose height and 
quality of workmanship should  surpass  

all that has been built in any style1 in
 ,greece or ,rome1 even at  the most    
florid period of their power6    ,but   
the spiritualization and glory of the   
tower are yet wanting4 ,there  is a very
 human expression about it1 as it stands
 in the midst of  those glimmering      
lands1 with its haughty summit          
commanding far-distant  plains1--       
,far as the wild swan wings1 to where   
the sky    ,dips down to sea and        
sands1--    a very human expression of  
scornful pride and imperious dominion4  
,we  shall see how it outgrew its mere  
humanities and became an expression  of 
immortal aspirations1 a symbol of our   
relationship with ethereal  existences4 
,these ,italian campaniles had either   
flat summits1 or were crowned with a    
low1 unimportant roof4 ,but as they     
approached the ,north of ,lombardy1 and 
found their way into ,germany1 ,france1 
and ,britain1 these roofs1 through  the 
necessities of climate1 became steeper  
and sharper4 ,many of the  little gray  

mountain-chapels in the ,south of       
,switzerland still lift up  these       
pointed towers amid the hamlets of the  
valley1 having gathered  in the hardy   
flocks at eventide for seven or eight   
centuries4 ,the same  early             
modifications may yet be seen on the    
banks of the ,rhine1 where the  conical1
 stork-haunted caps of the round towers 
are so picturesquely  associated with   
that legendary scenery4 ,those dear1    
time-worn1 rugged1  red-tiled roofs1    
with their peaks coming in just where   
they are  needed1--what could the artist
 do without them8 ,then the same        
necessities made the early ,french and  
,norman builders push up into the  air  
those gaunt1 quaint old camelbacks1 with
 spindles or pinnacles  astride4 ,you   
cannot but love them for their          
strangeness and the surprise  they make 
against the quiet sky4 ,in ,britain1    
too1 you might have beheld  this        
tendency1 where the lordly curfew       
quenched the lights in castle and  cot  

from beneath a very extinguisher of a   
roof4 ,now1 as1 in the natural  growth  
of the human mind1 the heart became more
 and more impregnated  with the beauty  
of holiness1 and the prayers of men     
ascended with  somewhat of purer        
aspiration to heaven1 so did they build 
their  tower-roofs higher and higher    
into the air1 till at length the spire  
was  born4 ,in one of those quaint      
antique towers of ,normandy1 ,coutances1
 it  was first fully developed2 and it  
is curious to see how in this  instance 
its roof-origin was still remembered3   
for it has tall1 gabled  garret-windows 
rising from its base1 connected by rude 
cross-bars to the  slope of the spire2  
and it has a kind of scaly mail1 ,ruskin
 says1 which  is nothing more than the  
copying in stone of the common wooden   
shingles  of the house-roof4 ,now the   
proud ,italian architects1 disdainful   
though  they were of the arts of the    
rude ,northern builders1 could not but  
admit  the expressiveness of the pointed

 roof2 so they placed a form of it on   
some of their campaniles1 as on those of
 ,venice and ,cremona1 in both  these   
instances making it a third of the whole
 height4 ,but the spire1  though an     
effective1 was as yet an unambitious    
structure1--scarcely more  than an      
exaltation or an apotheosis of the roof4
 ,for a long time it  continued to be   
merely a supplementary addition in wood 
to the solid  masonry of the tower1 and 
in the thirteenth1 fourteenth1 and      
fifteenth  centuries was often added to 
substructures of the tenth1 eleventh1   
and  twelfth4    ,surely it is very dull
 in us1 out of our present              
enlightenment1 to  continue to          
distinguish the mediaeval times as the  
,dark ,ages1 as if  they were glimmering
 and ghostly1 and men groped about in   
them blindly1  living in a sort of dusky
 romance of feudality4 ,did you ever    
study ,de  la ,roche's incarnation of   
,mediaeval ,art in his ,hemicycle1--that
 long  saintly robe with its still and  

serious folds1 that fair dreamy face1   
those upturned eyes1 the homes of silent
 prayer1 the contemplative  repose8 ,it 
is truly an exquisite idealization2 yet 
there is something  wanting4 ,i believe 
the piety of those days was rather a    
passion than a  sentiment4 ,their beauty
 of holiness was rather an active       
emotional  impulse than a passive       
spiritualization1 and was incomplete    
without a  material expression1 a       
tangible demonstration of itself4 ,like 
the fabled  ,narcissus1 it yearned for  
its own image4 ,hence the joy and luxury
 of the  ecclesiastical buildings of    
that period4 ,they were the very        
blossoming  of the tree of knowledge4   
,this was1 indeed1 an unenlightened1    
perhaps  a superstitious principle of   
worship2 but it was enthusiastic1       
self-sacrificing1 and chivalrous4 ,it1  
indeed1 sent the stylite to his  pillar1
 the hermit to the wilderness1 the      
ascetic to the scourge and  hair-cloth  
shirt2 but it also led the warrior to   

the ,holy ,land1 the  beggar to the     
castle-hearth1 and the workman to the   
building of the  ,house of ,god4 ,it is 
no wonder that a religion born thus in  
childlike  fervor1 and seeking          
expression in outward signs1 built      
upward4 ,it is  no wonder that out of   
the prosaic elements of the roof it made
 the  spiritual essence of the spire4   
,if we look through the whole range of  
architectural forms in classic or       
mediaeval times1 we shall find no one   
so indicative of any human emotion as   
this simple outline is of the  highest  
of all emotions1--prayer4 ,it is a      
significant fact1 that the  sentiment of
 aspiration is nowhere hinted at in     
,classic ,art1 and we look  in vain for 
it in all pagan architectures4 ,this is 
not surprising4  ,the worshippers who   
built in those schools demonstrated     
there all the  noblest ideas they were  
capable of1--intellectual beauty1       
dignity1  power1 truth1 chastity1       
courage1 and all the other virtues      

cherished in  their theologies2 but     
their personal relations with any higher
 sphere of  existence1 vague and        
undefined as they were1 called for no   
expression in  their temples1 and       
obtained none4    ,the pyramidal form   
has ever possessed peculiar fascinations
 for men1  and1 from its simplicity1    
grandeur1 and power1 has been used in   
all ages  with innumerable modifications
 in those structures whose object was to
  impress and overawe1--as in the       
pyramids of ,egypt1 the temples of      
,india  and ,mexico1 and in all the     
earliest funereal monuments4 ,it        
involved a  rude symbolism1 which       
recommended itself to the barbarous     
childhood  of nations4 ,but it was not  
until the pyramid was sharpened and     
spiritualized into the spire that it    
gained its completest triumph over  the 
secret emotions of men4 ,the ,egyptians 
made the nearest approach  to it in the 
obelisk4 ,that mysterious people felt   
very keenly the  suggestiveness of the  

pyramidal form1 and refined the language
 of  its sentiment into some very       
beautiful expressions4 ,yet between the 
mausoleums of ,gizeh and the            
hieroglyphic shafts of ,luxor and       
,karnac  there existed a modification1  
the intensity of whose meaning they     
were not prepared to understand4        
,neither their civilization nor their   
religion required such an exponent2 so  
they exhausted themselves with  their   
mountainous bulks of stone and their    
pictured monoliths4    ,we know not how 
the first view of a ,christian spire    
would affect the  mind of an alien2 but 
so far as our own experiences are       
concerned1  though perhaps familiar only
 with the lowliest and most unpretending
 of  its kind1 we are conscious that it 
deeply impressed even the unsunned      
temper of our childhood4 ,the wisest    
among us may not be able to define      
precisely these impressions1 or trace to
 their source the admiration  and       
satisfaction it occasions1 yet all are  

ready to acknowledge its  beautiful     
fitness to adorn and glorify the        
,christian temple4 ,but to the          
thoughtful mind how suggestive it is of 
pleasant imagery6 ,it is the  silent    
finger that points to heaven2 it is an  
upward aspiration of the  soul2 a prayer
 from the depths of a troubled heart2 a 
suspirium de  profundis2 a hymn of      
thanksgiving2 a pure life1 throwing of  
the worldly  and approaching the        
ethereal2 a finite mind searching1 till 
lost in the  vastness of the unknown and
 unapproachable2 a beautiful attempt2 a 
voice of praise sent up from the earth1 
till1 like the soaring lark1 it  becomes
 a sightless song4 ,indeed1 our unbidden
 thoughts1 that wild-ivy  of the mind1  
are trained upward by the spire1 till it
 is hung round with  the tenderest      
associations and recollections of all   
that is sweet and  softening in our     
natures4 ,thus1 when the painter has    
represented on his  canvas some wild    
phase of scenery1 where the gadding     

vine1 the tangled  underwood1 the       
troubled brook1 the black1 frowning     
rock1 the untamed  savage growth of the 
forest1      ,old plash of rains and    
refuse patched with moss1    impress us 
with awe1 and a sad1 homeless feeling1  
as if we were lost  children1 how       
eloquent is that last touch of his      
pencil that shows us  a simple spire    
peeping over the tree-tops6 ,how it     
comforts us6 ,how it  brings us home    
again1 and bestows an air      ,of sweet
 civility on rustic wilds6    ,but even 
if we were not inclined to be           
sentimental on the subject1 even  if    
base utilities had crowded out from our 
hearts the blessed capacity  of shedding
 rosy light on things about us1 the     
coldest esteem could not  but ripen into
 affection1 when we reflected that the  
spire never adorned  the shrine of a    
pagan god1 never glorified the mosque of
 a false  prophet1 never1 in purity1    
arose from any unconsecrated ground2 but
  when1 at last1 the ,church of ,christ 

felt the beauty of holiness1 then  it   
developed out of that beauty and pointed
 the way to ,god4 ,it exhaled  from the 
growing perfection of the ,church1 as   
fragrance from an opening  flower4 ,it  
is1 therefore1 peculiarly holy4 ,it is a
 monitor of especial  grace4 ,it        
marshals us the way that we are going1  
like the visionary  dagger of ,macbeth2 
but the knell that sounds beneath it    
summons only to  heaven4                
,practically1 it is utterly useless2 and
 this is its honor and its  unspeakable 
dignity4 ,we cannot even climb it1 as we
 could a tower2  for it is nearly as    
unapproachable as the ,oracle of ,god1  
save to the  innocent birds1 who love to
 flock and wheel about it in the        
sunshine1  and build their nests in its 
coignes of vantage1 or1 in the          
night-time1 to the troops of stars which
 touch it in their journey  through the 
skies4 ,it is as beautifully idle as the
 lilies of the field2  and yet its      
expressiveness touches us so nearly1 the

 propriety of its  sentiment is so      
striking1 that1 when the great test     
question of this  living age is applied 
to it1 and we are asked1 ,what is its   
use8 what is  it good for8 the heart is 
shocked at the impiety of the question1 
and  the feelings revolt1 as against an 
insult4 ,upon the arches of ,canterbury 
,minster is carved1      ,,non 99       
,,nobis 99 ,,domine 99 ,,non 99 ,,nobis 
99    ,,sed 99 ,,nomini 99 ,,tvo 99 ,,da
 99 ,,gloriam 99    ,nothing can be     
simpler than the composition of the pure
 spire4 ,the  aesthetics of its         
development and growth are              
characteristically natural  and         
apparent4 ,they are like the history of 
a flower from bud to bloom  under a warm
 sun4 ,let us become botanists of ,art  
for a while1 and  analyze those flowers 
of worship1 as they opened in that first
 garden  of their simpleness4           
,considering the growth of the spire    
from the tower-roof1 it might  naturally
 be supposed that the earliest forms    

would be square or round1  in plan4 ,but
 no sooner had the roof passed into this
 new sphere of  existence1 than the fine
 intelligence of the builders perceived 
that it  needed refinement4 ,they saw   
that in a square spire there was so     
coarse a  distinction between the       
tapering mass of light and the tapering 
mass  of shadow1 that the delicacy and  
lightness necessary to express the      
sentiment they desired to convey did not
 exist in the new feature2--in  a round 
spire1 on the other hand1 they found    
that this distinction of  light and     
shade was too little marked2 it was     
vapid and effeminate1 and  quite without
 that delicious crispiness of effect    
which they at once  obtained by cutting 
off the corners of the square spire1 and
 reducing it  to an octagon4 ,with very 
rare exceptions1 as in the southwest    
spire of  ,chartres ,cathedral1 this    
form was always used4 ,now it will be   
seen that  a difficulty arises in the   
beginning1 how to unite the octagon of  

the  spire with the square of the tower4
 ,there are four triangular spaces at   
the summit of the tower left uncovered  
by the superstructure2 and how  best to 
treat these1 simple as the task may     
seem1 constitutes what may  be called   
the touchstone of architectural genius  
in spire-building4  ,there are several  
general ways of effecting this1 each of 
them subject  to such modifications1 in 
individual instances1 as to give them an
  ever-varying character4    ,perhaps   
the earliest method was simply to occupy
 those triangular spaces  with pyramidal
 masses of masonry1 sloping back against
 the adjacent  faces of the tower1--an  
expedient which ,nature herself might   
have  suggested in the first snow-storm4
 ,then they boldly cut the ,gordian knot
  by shaving off the corners of the     
tower at the top1 thus creating there   
an octagonal platform1 to which the     
spire would exactly correspond4  ,still 
oftener they chamfered the spire upwards
 from the corners of the  tower3 in     

other words1 they placed1 as it were1 a 
square spire on  their tower1 occupying 
the whole of its summit1 and then       
obtained the  necessary octangularity by
 shaving off the angles of the spire    
from the  apex to a certain point near  
the base1 where the cutting was         
continued  obliquely to the corners of  
the tower4 ,the latest method was to    
build  pinnacles on the triangular      
territory4 ,in such cases the spire     
usually  stood wholly within the outer  
boundaries1 and parapets assisted to    
conceal the first springing of the      
spire4    ,the first of these methods is
 usually considered the most perfect and
  beautiful1 on account of its          
simplicity and candor4 ,this is called  
the  broach2 and it is the only form    
thus far spoken of wherein the tapering 
surfaces rise directly from the         
tower-cornice1 without mutilating the   
tower or violating the pure outlines of 
the spire4 ,the heavenward  aspiration1 
as it were1 ascends without effort from 

the solidity of the  tower4 ,it seems to
 typify a certain fitness and           
adaptability to heavenly  things even in
 the gross and earthly nature of man4   
,one cannot fail to  admire its         
unaffected dignity1 its harmonious      
balance1 its graceful  proportions4     
,it would be impossible within the      
limits of this article to give any  idea
 of the wonderful diversity of treatment
 these simple generic forms  received at
 the hands of the early builders4 ,the  
changes of combination1  proportion1 and
 ornamentation were endless4 ,for the   
mediaeval spirit was  eminently earnest 
in its labor1 and would not be content  
with copying an  old shape merely       
because it was a good shape4 ,it would  
not be satisfied  with the cold         
repetition of a written litany of       
architectural forms2 but  its ardent    
piety1 its thoughtful zeal1 the life of 
its love1 demanded  an ever-varying     
expression in these visible prayers4    
,emerson himself  might find nought to  

censure there1 in the way of undue      
conformities and  consistencies4 ,its   
language was written with the infinite  
alphabet of  ,nature4    ,we are        
speaking now especially of ,england2 and
 we1 her children1 may  well be proud   
that these divine enthusiasms of        
antiquity1 which we  thought so quaint1 
so rare1 so far away from us1 nowhere   
else found  fairer demonstrations4 ,the 
,english spires bear especial witness to
 the  zeal and aspiration of their      
builders4 ,they belted them with bands  
of  ornament1 cut at first in imitation 
of tiles1 and afterwards beautifully    
panelled with foliations4 ,moulded ribs 
began to run up the angles of  the      
spires1 and1 when they met at the       
summit1 would exultingly curl           
themselves together in the most precious
 cruciforms4 ,quaint spire-lights  began
 to appear4 ,sometimes curious dormers  
would project from alternate  sides2 and
 the very ribs1 as if1 in this          
spring-time of ,art1 they felt1         

quickening along their lengths1 the     
mysterious movements of a new life1     
sprouted out here and there with knots  
of leafage1 timidly at first1 and  then 
with all the wealth and profusion of the
 harvest4 ,the same impulse  wreathed   
the crowning cross with a thousand      
midsummer fancies1 till the  circle of  
,eternity1 or the triangle of ,trinity1 
which often mingled  with its arms1     
scarcely knew itself4 ,the pinnacles1   
too1 blossomed into  crockets and       
bud-like finials1 and began to gather   
more thickly about  the roots of the    
spire1 and from them often leaped       
flying-buttresses  against it4 ,during  
this time the spire itself was growing  
more and more  acute1 its lines becoming
 more and more eloquent4 ,after the     
fourteenth  century1 the tower began to 
be crowned with intricate panelled      
tracery  of parapets and battlements1   
from behind which the spire1 an entirely
  separate structure1 shot up into the  
sky4 ,in this1 the period of the        

perpendicular style1 pinnacles1 purfled 
to the last degree1 crowded  about the  
base of the spire1 reminding one of the 
admiring throng  gathered about the base
 of some old picture of the ,ascension4 
,but there  is another ,english form    
which perhaps conveys this sentiment    
even more  impressively3 ,we refer to   
that whose prototype exists in the      
steeple of  the ,church of ,st4         
,nicholas at ,newcastle-upon-,tyne4     
,this1 however1 has  four turrets1 one  
on each angle1 from which1 with great   
lightness1 leap  towards each other four
 grand flying-buttresses1 which join    
hands over  an empty void and hold in   
the air a lantern and spirolet of great 
elegance4 ,this is a very bold piece of 
construction4 ,it has been  imitated at 
,st4 ,giles's1 ,edinburgh1 at           
,linlithgow1 in the college  tower of   
,aberdeen1 and it is especially made    
known to the world by  ,sir ,christopher
 ,wren's famous use of it in the steeple
 of ,st4  ,dunstan's-in-the-,east1      

,london4    ,the most famous spires of  
,england and ,normandy are ,st4 ,peter's
 at ,caen1  a very early specimen1 ,st4 
,michael's at ,coventry1 ,louth1 that of
  the parochial church of ,boston in    
,lincolnshire1 that of ,chichester      
,cathedral1 the three that rise from the
 famous ,lichfield ,cathedral1  and     
finally and especially the magnificent  
spire over the cross of  ,salisbury4 ,in
 the judgment of most ,english          
connoisseurs1 this is the  finest in the
 world4 ,it was probably erected during 
the reign of ,edward  ,,iii41 a very    
florid period for architecture4 ,it is  
the highest in  ,england1 its summit    
rising four hundred and four feet from  
the pavement  of the church beneath4 ,it
 is one of the earliest erected in      
stone1 and  is remarkable for skilful   
construction1 the masonry in no part    
being  more than seven inches thick4    
,this spire is belted with three broad  
bands of panelled tracery1 and there are
 eight pinnacles at its base1  two on   

each corner of the tower4 ,the ribs are 
fretted throughout the  whole height    
with elegant crockets1 thus imparting to
 the sky-line an  appearance similar to 
the gusty spray on the borders of a     
rain-cloud4 ,an  admirer has said of it1
 ,it seems as though it had drawn down  
the very  angels to work over its grand 
and feeling simplicity the gems and     
embroidery of ,paradise itself6 ,england
 once boasted the loftiest spire  in the
 world1 that of old ,st4 ,paul's1       
,london1 whose summit1 five hundred  and
 twenty feet from the ground1 seemed to 
sail among the highest  clouds2 but the 
great fire of #afff destroyed it1 and   
,sir ,christopher's  stately            
metropolitan dome now rises in its      
place4    ,one could believe in the     
merrie days of ,old ,england1 were her  
abundant  spires their only evidence4   
,the ardent zeal that kindled so many   
thousand answering beacons throughout   
the length and breadth of the land  is  
the best proof of that concord of souls 

which is true happiness4 ,we  know that 
the decision of the ,council of         
,clermont about the ,crusades was       
believed to have been instantly known   
through ,christendom1 and that the      
great cry1 ,god willeth it6 which shook 
the council-roof1 was echoed  from hill 
to hill1 and at once struck awe and     
astonishment to the hearts  of remotest 
lands4 ,so in the birthplaces of our    
,pilgrim fathers1 over  these cherished 
spots1      ,where the kneeling hamlets 
drained    ,the chalice of the grapes of
 ,god1    arose the star y-pointing     
spire1 like a voice of adoration2 and   
then  another would be raised in unison 
in some neighboring village1 where  they
 could see and communicate with each    
other in their silent language2  and yet
 another close by among the hills2 and  
presently1 in full view  from its       
summit1 twenty more1 perhaps1--till the 
good tidings were known  through the    
whole country1 and from hamlet to       
hamlet1 over the streams  and tree-tops1

 was thus echoed the great ,te ,deum of 
the land4 ,for it  was said among the   
people1 in that antique spirit of       
worship1 as ,milton  exhorted the birds 
in his ,hymn of ,thanksgiving1--        
,join voices1 all ye living souls6 ye   
spires1    ,that singing up to heaven's 
gate ascend1    ,bear on your wings and 
in your notes ,his praise6    ,it is a  
beautiful proof of the spirit of        
sacrifice which actuated the  ,masonic  
builder of the ,middle ,ages1 that his  
fairest and most precious  works were   
not confined to the great metropolitan  
churches and  cathedrals1 where they    
could be seen of men1 but were          
frequently found  in quiet and secluded 
villages1 nestled among pastoral        
solitudes1 far  away from the gaze and  
admiration of the world4 ,though the    
spire of  ,salisbury was1 perhaps1 an   
epic in ,masonic poetry1 yet in humble  
hamlets  of ,england1 beyond her most   
distant hills1 and amid many an unnamed 
sunny spot of greenery1 were idyls sung 

no less exquisite than this4  ,many a   
village-spire1 of conception no less    
beautiful1 arose above the  tree-tops   
among the most untrodden ways4 ,all day 
long its shadow lingers  in the quiet   
churchyard1 and points among the humble 
graves1 as if1 over  this dial of human 
life1 it loved to preach silent homilies
 on the  passing away1 even to the      
simplest poor4 ,it must be inexpressibly
  touching to meet with these beautiful 
forms in the lonely wilderness1  where  
the ivy alone1 as it throws its loving  
arms around them1 appears  to recognize 
their grace and all their tender        
significance4 ,it is like  the chance   
discovery of a good deed done in the    
darkness1 or like a  pure life spent in 
the sweet and serious retirement of a   
little hamlet1  pointing the way to     
heaven for its scanty flock of          
cottagers4    ,it was the custom in     
those days1 during the celebration of   
,mass1 at the  moment when the ,host was
 raised1 to ring a peculiar bell in the 

tower1  in order that those not gathered
 beneath the consecrated roof might be  
made aware far and wide of the awful    
ceremony1 and be reminded to offer  up  
their devotion in unison4 ,and we       
remember what ,izaak ,walton said of    
quaint ,george ,herbert1--how some of   
the meaner sort of his parish did  so   
love and reverence ,mr4 ,herbert1 that  
they would let their plough rest  when  
his saints'-bell rung to prayer1 that   
they might also offer their  devotion to
 ,god with him1 and would then return   
back contented to their  plough4 ,now it
 seems to us that the spire is a        
perpetual elevation  of the ,host1 a    
never-ending lifting-up of the ,symbol  
of ,redemption1 a  consecrating presence
 to field and cottage1 hillside and     
highway1 ever  ready to bless the       
accidental glance of wayfarer or        
laborer1 and to make  in the desert of  
his daily life a momentary oasis of     
sweet and hallowed  thought4 ,its       
peaceful influence extends over the     

whole landscape and  pierces to its     
remotest corners4      ,a gentler life  
spreads round the holy spires2          
,where'er they rise1 the sylvan waste   
retires1    ,and ary harvests crown the 
fertile lea4    ,it may be thought that 
,st4 ,peter's cock1 which so often      
answers the  sunbeams from the spindly  
spire1 and kindles and glitters there   
like a  star1 is rather empty of        
emblematic significance and             
soul-language4 ,but  what saith old     
,bishop ,durandus8--,the cock at the    
summit of the church  is a type of the  
preacher4 ,for the cock1 ever watchful1 
even in the  depth of night1 giveth     
notice how the hours pass1 waketh the   
sleepers1  predicteth the approach of   
day1--but first exciteth himself to crow
 by  striking his sides with his wings4 
,there is a mystery conveyed in each  of
 these particulars3 the night is the    
world2 the sleepers are the  children of
 this world1 who are asleep in their    
sins2 the cock is the  preacher who     

preacheth boldly1 and exciteth the      
sleepers to cast away  the works of     
darkness1 exclaiming1 ,woe to them that 
sleep6 ,awake1 thou  that sleepest6 and 
then foretell the approach of day1 when 
they speak  of the ,day of ,judgment and
 the glory that shall be revealed1 and1 
like  prudent messengers1 before they   
teach others1 arouse themselves from the
  sleep of sin by mortifying their      
bodies2 and as the weather-cock faces   
the wind1 they turn themselves boldly to
 meet the rebellious by threats  and    
arguments4    ,but it was on the        
,continent1 especially in ,france1 the  
,low ,countries1  and ,germany1 that the
 ,gothic flower opened in fullest       
perfection2 and it  is here that we find
 the loftiest and most luxurious        
spire-forms4 ,they  were always the last
 part of the church completed1 the      
finishing-touch1  the last that was     
needed to perfection4 ,the progress of  
the building  of a cathedral thus       
embodied a beautiful symbolism4 ,in most

 cases1  the choir1 or east end1 the    
holiest part of the church1 was the     
first  erected1 in order to sanctify and
 protect the high altar2 and then1 as   
the treasures of the church flowed in1  
after the expiration of years or        
centuries1 the builders1 tutored by a   
legendary science1 and harmonized  by a 
wonderful feeling of brotherhood1 in the
 same spirit1 perfected the  designs of 
their predecessors1 by leading out      
westward the long naves  and attendant  
aisles1 completing northward and        
southward the transepts1  adding a      
chapel here and a porch there1          
glorifying the western front  with the  
touches of divine genius2 and when at   
last every niche was  occupied with its 
statue of angel1 saint1 or pious        
benefactor1 and the  holy choir1 with   
its apsis1 had been re-adorned with the 
accumulated art  of centuries1 and      
glowed with the iris-light from painted 
windows1--when  the mural monuments of  
bishops1 warriors1 and kings had        

thickened  beneath the consecrated roof1
 and the whole structure had been       
hallowed  by the prayers and chantings  
of generations1--then1 at last1 over the
  ancient tower arose the lofty spire2  
as if an angelic messenger had  spread  
his wings at its base and mounted upward
 to heaven1 shouting  out the glad      
tidings of the completion of the ,house 
of ,god1 and1 as he  arose1 the voice   
grew fainter and fainter1 till at length
 it melted into  the sky6    ,the finest
 spires of ,europe were erected as late 
as the fourteenth1  fifteenth1 and      
sixteenth centuries1 upon towers        
prepared for their  reception1 usually1 
in much earlier times4 ,this confidence 
of the old  builders in the final       
completion of their structures is       
remarkable4 ,they  drew without stint on
 the piety of after ages1--a resource   
which has not  unfrequently proved too  
feeble to realize their generous        
expectations4  ,there are few cities in 
,europe which do not bear sad marks of  

this  misplaced confidence4 ,this is    
especially witnessed in the unfinished  
steeples4 ,and1 indeed1 when we find    
that not only one1 but two1 three1      
four1 or even five spires were sometimes
 required to flame upward from  the same
 building1 as in ,caen ,cathedral1 we do
 not wonder that the  kindling spark is 
often wanting4 ,it would seem as if     
another fire must  come down from       
heaven1 as of old it did upon the first 
offering of ,moses  and ,aaron1 to      
inflame these censers1 rich in          
frankincense and naphtha4    ,now let us
 see what were the distinguishing       
attributes of the  ,continental spires4 
,we know not why it was1 but in the gray
 old towns  of ,belgium and the ,low    
,countries there existed such exuberance
 of  imagination1 such an unbounded     
luxuriousness of conception1 as created 
more images of ,gothic quaintness and   
intricacy than elsewhere can be  seen4  
,if any architecture ever expressed the 
average of human thought1  that of these

 towns is especially eloquent in its    
indications that their  inhabitants were
 very happy and contented4 ,look at a   
print of any old  ,belgian town or      
street1 and you will at once see our    
meaning4 ,what a  joyous upspringing of 
pinnacles and pointed roofs and spires6 
of no more  earthly use1 indeed1 than so
 much pleasant laughter4 ,there is no   
tower  without its spire1 no turret or  
gable without its pinnacle1 no oriel    
without its pointed roof1 no dormer     
without some such playful leaping  up   
into the air4 ,every salient point      
attacks the sky with its long iron      
spindle1 wrought with strange device and
 bearing a hospitable cup where  the    
bird makes his nest2 and every spindle  
sings and shrieks with a  shifting      
vane1--so that the wind never sweeps    
idly over a ,belgian town4  ,this       
innocent and happy people did not frown 
through the ages from grim  battlements1
 and awe posterity with stern and       
massive walls4 ,but they  loved old     

childlike associations and fireside     
tales4 ,they loved to build  curious    
fountains in commemoration of pleasant  
legends4 ,they loved1 too1  the huge1   
delicious-toned bells of their          
minster-towers1 and the sweet  changes  
of melodious1 never-ceasing chimes4     
,they carved their ,lares  and ,penates 
on their house-fronts very curiously1   
with sun-dials and  hatchments1 sacred  
texts and legends of hospitality4 ,the  
narrow streets  of ,ghent1 ,louvain1    
,liege1 ,mechlin1 ,antwerp1 ,ypres1     
,bruges are thus full  of household     
memories and saintly traditions4 ,so it 
is not strange that  a people whose     
daily hours were counted out with the   
music of belfries  were fond of fretting
 their towers with workmanship so       
precious and  delicate that it has been 
called the petrifaction of music4       
,but before we proceed to tell in how   
florid a manner the ,low ,countries     
interpreted the simpler forms of spires1
 we shall describe generically  in what 

manner not only they1 but all the other 
,european kingdoms1 were  indebted to   
the old ,rhineland towns for some of    
these forms4 ,when the  bell-tower1 in  
about the seventh or eighth century1    
began to be used in  ,germany1 it at    
once received certain very important    
modifications on the  earlier ,italian  
campanile4 ,the upper terminations of   
these latter  were horizontal1 on       
account of their flat roofs4 ,now in    
more northern  climates1 where the snow 
falls1 these flat roofs would be unsafe 
and  inconvenient4 ,so we find that the 
first church-towers that arose in such  
,rhenish places as ,oberwesel1          
,gelnhausen1 ,bacharach1 ,coblentz1     
,cologne1  ,bingen1 sweet ,bingen on the
 ,rhine1 no longer ended in these       
horizontal  lines1 but arose in pointed 
shapes4 ,indeed1 the ,germans1 who were 
great  rivals of the ,italians in those 
days1 not only in matters pertaining to 
architecture1 but to literature also1 in
 the same independent spirit  which     

induced them alone1 of all civilized    
peoples1 to retain through  all time the
 cramped1 angular letters of monkish    
transcribers1 in  preference to the fair
 and square ,roman forms1 took          
particular pride in  avoiding horizontal
 lines entirely at the tops of their    
towers1 as they  did at the tops of     
their letters4 ,wherever they so occur1 
they are  insignificant1--rather        
ornamental than constructive4 ,not so   
with the  ,english2 they kept the square
 tops to their towers1 and contented    
themselves with the pointed             
superstructure4 ,let us see how         
,teutonic  stubbornness arranged the    
matter4 ,each separate face of their    
towers1  whether these towers were      
square or octangular1 ended above in a  
gable2  and from these gables1 in       
various ways1 arose the octangular      
pointed  roof or spire4 ,this           
circumstance1 more than any other1      
tended to give  a peculiar character to 
,german ,gothic4 ,the simplest type of  

the gabled  spire was magnificently used
 in the spire of ,st4 ,peter's at       
,hamburg4  ,this was the finest in      
,north ,germany2 it was four hundred and
 sixteen  feet high1 and1 if still      
standing1 would be the third in height  
in the  world4 ,but it was destroyed by 
the great fire of #ahdb4 ,many a        
traveller  can bear witness to the sweet
 melody of the chimes that used to sound
  beneath it every half-hour4    ,in    
later times1 between the ,germans and   
the ,french1 was invented the           
lantern1--a feature so often and so     
superbly used1 not only on the          
,continent1 but more lately in ,england1
 that we must needs glance at it4  ,this
 consisted in a tall1 perpendicular1    
octangular structure1 placed  upon the  
tower1 quite light and open1 and pierced
 with long windows4  ,here they used to 
swing the bells1 and the place was      
called the lantern  or louvre2 thence   
the octangular spire arose easily and   
naturally4  ,now1 notwithstanding this  

device1 those troublesome triangular    
spaces  still remained unoccupied at the
 top of the square tower4 ,the manner   
in which this difficulty was remedied   
was exceedingly ingenious and           
beautiful4 ,it was by building on them  
very delicate pinnacles or  turrets1    
peopled1 perhaps1 as at ,freiburg1 with 
a silent and serene  concourse of saints
 in rich niches1 or inclosing1 as at    
,strasburg1  spiral open-work stairs4   
,these structures accompanied the tall  
lantern  through its whole height2 thus 
rendering the entire group a memory1  as
 it were1 of the square tower below1    
while1 at the same time1 it  beautifully
 foreshadowed the octangular character  
of the sky-seeking  spire above1--a     
significant symbolism4    ,now1 when the
 ,belgians and their neighbors received 
the spire thus from  the fatherland1    
they at once began to express in it the 
joy of their  worship by all the        
embroidery and tender imagery and       
grotesque conceits  it was capable of   

receiving4 ,they varied as many changes 
on it as they  did on their bells4 ,they
 concealed the first springing of their 
spires  behind clustering pinnacles1    
flying-buttresses1 canopied niches with 
gigantic statues1 galleries with        
battlements and parapets pierced and    
mantled in lacework of flamboyant       
tracery1 pointed gables alive with      
crockets and finials1 and long1 quaint  
dormers1--all with a bewildering        
intricacy of enrichment4 ,and they      
inherited from the ,germans a love for  
the gargoyle1 which haunted the         
springing of the spire at the corners   
with visions of very hideous diablerie4 
,it may well be believed that  these    
florid builders did not suffer the spire
 to arise serious and  serene from the  
midst of this delicious tangle of       
architecture4 ,they  tricked it out with
 all the frostwork of ,gothic genius4   
,not only did  they use in its          
decoration spire-lights1 crockets1 ribs 
and cinctures1  bands of gablets1 and   

masses of reticulated relief1 but1 with 
wonderful  skill1 they pierced each face
 from base to apex in foliated patterns 
of great richness1 so that the whole    
spire became a web of delicate          
open-work1 through which the light was  
sprinkled in beautiful shapes1  varying 
with every movement of the beholder4    
,their plainer spires of  wood they were
 fond of covering with glazed tiles of  
various tints  arranged in quaint taste4
 ,and they would vary the outline by    
making it  curve inward1 giving a fine  
sweep thus from the base to an apex of  
great  slenderness4 ,sometimes they     
would give it1 with exaggerated         
refinement1  the entasis of the ,greek  
column4 ,there are instances of this    
last  treatment both in ,france and     
,england4    ,but it was not only in    
exuberance of enrichment and quaintness 
of form  that these enthusiastic workmen
 uttered their inspirations4 ,they built
  their spires to a most amazing height4
 ,indeed1 the loftiest steeples in  the 

world arose in level tracts of country1 
where they could be seen at  immense    
distances1 as not only in ,belgium and  
thereabout1 but on the  flat margins of 
the upper and lower ,rhine1 as at       
,strasburg and ,cologne4  ,in these     
countries1 and about the ,north of      
,france1 there was a generous  rivalry  
as to which city should lift up highest 
the cross of ,god4 ,but as  soon as the 
sacred passion for spire-building was   
corrupted by this new  element of human 
emulation1 some strange things happened4
 ,the people of  ,beauvais1 for         
instance1 desiring to beat the people of
 ,amiens1 set to  work1 we are told1 to 
build a tower on their cathedral as high
 as they  possibly could4 ,the same     
thing had been done once before on the  
plains  of ,shinar4 ,one foresees the   
result1 of course2 it fell1 for it was  
founded upon the sand1 and great was the
 fall thereof4 ,and so with the  good   
people of ,louvain4 ,they built three   
spires to their cathedral1 of  which the

 central one reached the unparalleled   
height of five hundred  and thirty-three
 feet1 according to ,hope1 and the      
side-towers four  hundred and thirty    
feet4 ,this tremendous group1 however1  
fell1 or1  threatening destruction1 was 
taken down1 in #afjd4 ,we remember what 
the  ,wanderer said so finely in the    
,excursion3--      ,we must needs       
confess    ,that 'tis a thing impossible
 to frame    ,conceptions equal to the  
soul's desire2    ,and the most         
difficult of tasks to keep    ,heights  
which the soul is competent to gain4    
,but we find that ecclesiastical        
edifices were not the only ones  which  
were adorned with this high building2   
for town-halls were not  infrequently   
distinguished by immensely lofty spires1
 as at ,brussels4 ,it  is curious to    
see1 however1 how easily the less       
exalted impulses which  erected them may
 be discovered4 ,they do not soar1 they 
climb up  panting into the sky1 like the
 famous passage up through ,chaos1 in   

,milton1 with difficulty and labor hard4
 ,they have not the light1 airy  gliding
 upward of the religious spire1 whose   
feeling ,george ,herbert had  in his    
mind1 when he sang of prayer3--      ,of
 what an easy1 quick accesse1    ,my    
blessed ,lord1 art thou6 how suddenly   
,may our requests thine eare invade6    
,not so2 but it is all human rivalry1 a 
succession of diminishing towers1  steps
 piled one above another1 where the mind
 every now and then may  stop to        
breathe1 and then fight its way onward  
again2--not an ,ascension1  like that   
from ,bethany2 rather the toil of a very
 human1 though very  laudable ambition4 
,unfinished spires were in ,europe very 
common legacies from generation to      
generation4 ,descendants were called    
upon to embody the great conceptions  of
 their forefathers4 ,but the ancestral  
spirit too often failed in the  land1   
the wing of aspiration was broken1 the  
crane rotted in its place1  the great   
conceptions were forgotten1 or lived    

only as vague and dreamy  inheritances2 
and the half-completed spires stood like
 ,sphinxes1 and  none knew their        
riddles6 ,they are very melancholy      
memorials4 ,like the  broken columns    
over the graves of the departed1 fallen 
short of their  natural uses1 they seem 
only the funeral monuments of a race    
that  is dead4 ,the empty air is stilled
 over them in expectation1 and the      
imagination makes vain pictures1 and    
fills out their crescent of  splendid   
purposes4 ,they have been called broken 
promises to ,god4 ,too  often1 perhaps1 
they were rather monuments of the       
feebleness of those  who would scale    
heaven with anything but adoration upon 
their lips4  ,there were ,ulm1 indeed1  
and ,cologne1 and ,mechlin1 as artistic 
intentions1 eminently grand and         
beautiful2 and in the early part of the 
sixteenth century ,belgium was famous   
for designs of open-work spires1  which1
 if erected1 would have surpassed in    
height and richness all  hitherto       

existing4 ,but it is worthy of note that
 at this period the  purity of the      
,church had become so sullied with      
priestcraft and the  plenitude of ,papal
 power1 that it no longer possessed     
within its  violated bosom those sacred 
impulses of piety which whilom sent up  
the  simple spire1 like a pure          
messenger1 to whisper the aspirations of
 men  to the stars4 ,gay religions1 full
 of pomp and gold1 could neither feel   
nor utter the grave tenderness of the   
early inspirations4 ,and so1 when  the  
,german monk affixed his ninety-five    
theses to the door of ,wittenberg       
,church1 the spire had ceased to be an  
utterance of prayerful aspiration4  ,it 
had lost its peculiar significance as an
 involuntary expression of  worship1 and
 had become liable to all the accidents 
and contingencies  that attend the      
efforts of a merely human ambition4 ,the
 whole story is  an architectural       
version of the parable of the ,pharisee 
and the ,publican  who went down to the 

temple to pray4    ,of the finished     
spires1 the loftiest in the world are1  
first1 that of  ,strasburg ,minster1    
#dgd feet2 second1 that of ,st4         
,stephens at ,vienna1  #dfi feet2 third1
 that of ,notre ,dame at ,antwerp1 #dff 
feet2 then that of  ,salisbury1 #djd    
feet2 ,freiburg in the ,breisgau1       
#chj-a_/b feet2 and then  follow the    
distinguished heights of ,landshut1     
,utrecht1 ,rouen1 ,chartres1  ,brugrels1
 ,soissons1 and others4 ,the highest    
spire in our own country is  that of    
,trinity ,church1 ,new ,york1 #bhd feet4
 ,we do not sweep the cobwebs  from the 
sky so effectually as when men built    
according to the scale  of spiritual    
exaltation rather than that of practical
 feet and  inches1--after the stature of
 the soul1 rather than that of the man4 
,the architects of the revival of       
classic architecture1 with the learned  
language of the five orders1 with       
pediments and attics1 consoles and      
urns1 labored to express the childlike  

sentiment of the spire4 ,but even  the  
great ,sir ,christopher ,wren1 with his 
sixty steeple-towers1 and  all his      
followers to this day1 have not         
succeeded in a translation so           
unnatural4 ,spirituality and the artless
 grace of inspiration are wanting  to   
the spires of the ,renaissance1 and so  
they struggle up painfully into  the    
sky4 ,and it is very rare to find those 
who have gone back even to  ,gothic     
models building a spire which touches   
our affections1 or claims  affinity with
 any of our nobler emotions2 so         
sensitive is this unique  structure to  
the approach of any element foreign to  
the early conditions  of its existence4 
,as for the great ,strasburg example1   
that ,jungfrau of all spires1  ,german  
traditions have very properly babbled   
many strange stories about  the erection
 of it4 ,these constitute an episode so 
characteristic in the  history of       
spire-building1 that this essay would be
 incomplete1 were  they not briefly told

 here4    ,in the legendary days of     
yore1 nothing was more common than to   
meet that  personage known as the ,devil
 walking up and down the earth1 in      
innocent  guise1 but ripe for all sorts 
of mischief1 especially where the people
  were building up mighty monuments to  
the glory of the good ,god4 ,very       
naturally1 the sacred spire was a       
special object of his aversion2 and1    
for some reason or other1 that of       
,strasburg was honored with peculiar    
marks of his hatred4 ,two ancient       
churches1 which stood on the site  of   
the present minster1 had been           
successively destroyed by fire2 and     
although1 in the one case1 this had been
 kindled by the torch of an  invading   
army1 and in the other by a thunderbolt1
 yet the infernal  agency1 in both      
cases1 nobody ever thought of doubting4 
,so it was  the effort of ,bishop       
,werner to combat these evil influences2
 and he  accordingly inflamed the pride 
and indignation of the people to such  a

 degree1 that throughout the land all   
concerted to defeat the wicked  designs 
of the ,adversary4 ,in two centuries and
 a half the whole  cathedral was        
completed1 save the tower1 the          
corner-stone of which was  forthwith    
laid with great pomp by ,bishop ,conrad 
of ,lichtenberg1 on the  #beth of ,may1 
#abgg4 ,doubtless the ,arch-,fiend laid 
many cunning schemes to  entrap the     
illustrious architect1 ,erwin of        
,steinbach2 but1 unlike his  brother in 
the craft at ,cologne1 he came out      
unscathed2 so we must  believe that     
throughout the whole work he was        
actuated by the most  unselfish spirit  
of devotion1 infernal machinations to   
the contrary  notwithstanding4 ,now it  
must be confessed that the ,enemy had a 
hard time  of it1 since we read that the
 good ,bishop ,conrad fought against him
 with  all the powers of the ,church1   
and granted absolution for all sins1    
past1  present1 and future1 for forty   
thousand years1 to whatever person      

should  contribute to the building of   
the spire by money1 material1 or labor4 
,owing to the scarcity of parchment1    
these grants of absolution were made    
out on asses' skins2 and it will be     
seen1 that1 in the great struggle1      
these instruments retained in a very    
eminent degree that quality of  stubborn
 resistance which had cost them in their
 original state many a  beating from the
 driver's staff4 ,the greatest          
enthusiasm was kindled  among rich and  
poor2 year after year1 thousands of     
pilgrims flocked  hither from all       
,germany to offer their aid1 without    
reward or  recompense1 to the building  
of the tower2 and out of the  farthest  
boundaries1 even from ,austria1 came    
wagons loaded with  building-materials1 
the gratuitous offerings of the pious4  
,rich legacies  were left to the work1  
and many a cloister devoted a fourth    
part of its  yearly revenues to the same
 object ,so much for asses' skins6      
,meanwhile the ,devil was not idle4 ,in 

the night-winds he and his legions      
would shriek and yell and rattle among  
the scaffolding and cranes  in vain4 ,in
 the latter part of the thirteenth      
century1 he shook the  structure with a 
frightful earthquake1 which terrified   
all ,alsatia1  and1 although whole      
streets were thrown down in ,strasburg1 
yet the  foundations of the ,wunderbau1 
as the ,germans love to call it1 were   
not  loosened1 and no stone was moved   
from its place4 ,a few years afterward1 
in #abhi1 he once more made use of his  
favorite element1 and laid in  ashes the
 market-place of ,strasburg all around  
the minster4 ,more  fortunate than its  
great compeers1 ,st4 ,paul's of ,london1
 and ,st4 ,peter's  of ,hamburg1 it     
miraculously experienced but trifling   
damage4    ,well1 the great ,erwin died 
at last1 when he had built the tower as 
high  as the roof-ridge of the nave4    
,his son succeeded him1 finished the    
tower  to the platform1 when he1 too1   
was gathered to his fathers in #acci4   

,john  ,hltz followed as master2 and    
finally his nephew1 ,hltz ,,ii41 in     
#adci1  finished the grand pyramid1     
fixed the colossal cross in its place1  
and  crowned the whole with a gigantic  
statue of the ,virgin4 ,thus1 from the  
laying of the foundation-stone till all 
was completed1 were one  hundred and    
sixty years2 yet throughout this time   
the work was never  discontinued1 and   
five successive generations labored upon
 its walls4    ,but the wrath of the    
,arch-,enemy1 as may well be believed1  
waxed greater  as this prodigious       
structure gradually developed itself in 
all its  lordliness and strength1 and   
was not at all appeased at its          
triumphant  completion4 ,ever since then
 he has visited its stately height with 
especial marks of his malice4 ,the most 
furious tempests have raged about  it1  
and more than sixty times has it been   
struck by lightning1 and five  times    
have earthquakes shaken its foundations4
 ,but in vain4 ,the ,golden  ,legend    

tells us how ,lucifer and the ,powers of
 the ,air stormed about the  spire1 and 
how he cried1--      ,hasten6 hasten6   
,o ye spirits6    ,from its station drag
 the ponderous    ,cross of iron that to
 mock us    ,is uplifted high in air6   
and how the voices replied1--      ,oh1 
we cannot6    ,for around it    ,all the
 ,saints and ,guardian ,angels          
,throng in legions to protect it2       
,they defeat us everywhere6    ,at one  
point1 however1 the evil spirits were   
successful2 the colossal  statue of the 
,virgin1 which crowned the dizzy summit1
 and was familiar  with the secrets of  
the upper air1 and which1 like its dread
 ,enemy1      above the rest1    ,in    
shape and gesture proudly eminent1      
,stood like a tower1--    after having  
for fifty years borne the insults of    
these airy powers1  till it had lost all
 its original brightness1 and its face  
,deep scars of thunder had intrenched1--
    was taken down1 and the present     
cross put in its place4 ,and there it   

stands to this day1 high up in the      
silence of midair1 where the voices  of 
the city below are rendered small and   
thin by the distance1--four  hundred and
 seventy-four feet above the heads of   
the populace1 who1 in  their littleness1
 crawl about and traffic at its base4   
,this amazing  summit1 moulded in       
colossal calm1 in its unapproachable    
grandeur1  seems to forget the city from
 which it rises1 and to hold communion  
only  with that vast circle of crowded  
farms and lessening towers which  it    
surveys4 ,it is a worthy companionship2 
on the one hand1 the great  ,vosgian    
chain1 the closed gates of ,france1--on 
the other1 afar off1 the  hills of the  
,black ,forest1 and1 more near1 ,father 
,rhine1 winding his  silver thread among
 the villages and vineyards of ,germany4
    ,there is 7or was7 an enormous key  
suspended just beneath the cross of     
,strasburg ,cathedral1 its use1 and why 
it was placed there1 having passed  away
 from the memory of man4 ,if it were not

 to open the gates of heaven  for those 
who built this ladder of light and those
 who worship in  its shadow1 it remains 
a riddle and a blank4 ,let us accept the
  interpretation1 and1 made mild-eyed by
 the lens of tender memories1 we  shall 
behold in every spire a means of grace  
and a hope of glory4          ,,the     
,,professor',s ,,story4                 
,,preliminary ,,correspondence4         
,,the ,,publishers ,,to ,,the ,,author4 
,queerangle ,building1 ,nov4 '#ei4      
,dr4 ,,sr1--    ,will you contract to do
 us a tale or a novel1 at the rate of   
say #aj pp4  per month1 with some       
popular subject1 such as philanthropy1  
or the ,broad  ,church movement1 or     
fashionable weddings1 or the ,john      
,brown invasion1  brought in so as to   
make a taking thing of it8 ,when        
finished1 to come  to a #abmo of #cej   
pp4 more or less4 ,a good article of    
novel is always  salable about          
,christmas time1 and we can do it up by 
,dec4 #a1 #ahfj4  ,our ,mr4 ,goader has 

been round among the hands that do the  
light  jobbing1--finds several ready to 
undertake the contract1 at say #ge;c4   
#c4jj per page2--but want the job done  
in first-rate style1 and think  you     
could furnish us a good article4 ,our   
firm has great facilities for  working a
 novel1 tale1 or any kind of fancy      
stuff4 ,what w'd be y'r terms  in cash  
payment1 #ast of every month8    ,p4,s4 
,would any additional compensation      
induce you to allow each number  to be  
illustrated by a colored engraving8     
,yr obt serv'ts4      ,,the ,,author    
,,to ,,the ,,publishers4                
,,gentlemen1--    ,in reply to your     
polite request1 ,i have to say1 that    
under no  circumstances can ,i entertain
 your proposition to write a fictitious 
narrative4 ,i could1 however1 relate    
some very interesting events which  have
 come to my knowledge1 and which1 if    
told in a connected form1 might         
undoubtedly be taken by the public for a
 work of fiction4 ,i think my           

narrative1 with some collateral matter  
,i should introduce1 would take up  a   
reasonable space in about a dozen       
numbers of the ,oceanic ,miscellany4  ,i
 cannot listen to your proposal about   
the engraving4 ,if you accept my  offer 
to write out1 in the form of a story1   
the incidents of real  life to which ,i 
have referred1 we will arrange the terms
 at a private  interview4 ,i consider   
the first day of a month as             
unobjectionable as any  other in the    
same month1 as a time for receiving     
payment of any sum that  may be due me  
under the proposed contract4    ,yours  
truly4      ,,confidential ,,editor ,,of
 ,,the ,,oceanic ,,miscellany ,,to ,,the
 ,,author4    ,,my ,,dear ,,prof41--    
,we have had lots of bob-tail           
stories1--docked short in from one to   
three  months4 ,can't you give us a     
switch-tail one1 that will hang on so as
  to touch next ,december8 ,something   
imaginary1 based on your                
recollections1--the incidents of the    

,war of #ahab1 for instance2--but1 at   
any rate1 a regular to be continued pice
 de rsistance    ,yours ever4      ,,the
 ,,author ,,to ,,the ,,confidential     
,,editor4    ,,my ,,dear ,,ed41--    ,i 
really wouldn't undertake to tell an    
imaginary story1 or to write  a romance1
 or anything of the kind4 ,i might be   
willing to relate some  curious matters 
that have come to my knowledge1         
arranging them in a  collective form1 so
 that they would probably pass with most
 readers for  fictitious1 and perhaps   
excite very much the same kind of       
interest they  would if genuine         
fictions4 ,i don't remember much about  
the last war2  but ,i suppose both of us
 may recollect the illumination when    
peace was  declared in #ahae4    ,ever  
yours4      ,,the ,,publishers ,,to     
,,the ,,author4    7,inclosing a check1 
in advance1 for the first number47      
,,the ,,author ,,to ,,the ,,reader4     
,finding myself in possession of certain
 facts which possess interest           

sufficient to warrant their publication1
 ,i am led to ask myself whether  ,i    
shall put them in the form of a         
narrative4 ,there are1 evidently1 two   
sides to this question4 ,in the first   
place1 ,i have a number of friends  who 
write me letters1 and tell me openly to 
my face1 that they want me  to go on    
writing4 ,it doesn't make much          
difference to them1 they say1  what ,i  
write about1--only they want me to keep 
going4 ,they have got used  to seeing   
me1 in one shape or another1--and ,i am 
a kind of habit with  them1 like a nap  
after dinner4 ,they tell me not to be   
frightened about  it1--to begin as dull 
as ,i like1 and that ,i shall warm up1  
by-and-by1 as  old ,dutchman used to1   
who could hardly put one leg before the 
other  when he started1 but1 after a    
while1 got so limbered and straightened 
out by his work1 that he dropped down   
into the forties1 and1 ,i think  they   
say1 into the thirties4 ,l'apptit vient 
en mangeant1 one of them  said who talks

 ,french1--which1 you know1 means1 that 
eating makes one  hungry4 ,i remember1  
when ,i sat down to that last book of   
mine1 which you  may perhaps have read1 
although ,i had the facts of the story1 
of course1  all in my head1 it seemed to
 me that ,i should never have the       
patience  to tell them all2 and yet1    
before ,i was through1 ,i got so full of
 the  scenes and characters ,i was      
talking about1 that ,i had to bolt my   
door  and lay in an extra bandanna1     
before ,i could trust myself to put my  
recollections and thoughts on paper4    
,you don't expect a locomotive is  going
 to start off with a train of thirty or 
forty thousand passengers1  without     
straining a little1--do you8 ,that isn't
 the way2 but this is4  ,puff6 ,the     
wheels begin to turn1 but very slowly4  
,papas hold up their  little ,johnnys to
 the car-windows to be kissed4          
,puff----,puff6 ,people  shake hands    
from the platform to the cars1 walking  
along by their side4  ,puff--puff--puff6

 ,now1 then1 ,ma'am6 pass out that      
tumbler pretty  spry1 out of which you  
have been swallowing that eternal drink 
o'  wotter1 to which the human female of
 a certain social grade is so  odiously 
addicted4 ,puff1 puff1 puff1 puff6 ,too 
late1 old gentleman  ,i unless you can  
do a mile in a good deal less than three
 minutes1  carrying weight1 in the shape
 of a valise in one hand and a          
carpet-bag  in the other4 ,that's the   
way with anything that's got any freight
 to  carry4 ,it's slow when it sets     
out2--but steam is steam1--and what's   
bred  in the boiler will show in the    
driving-wheel1 sooner or later4    ,if  
,i had to make up a story1 now1 it would
 be a very different matter4  ,i could  
never conceive how some of those        
romancers go to work1 in cold  blood1 to
 draw1 out of what they call their      
imagination1 a parcel of  impossible    
events and absurd characters4 ,that is  
not my trouble2 for ,i  have come into  
relation with a series of persons and   

events which will  save me the pains of 
drawing on my invention1 in case ,i     
shall see fit to  follow the counsel of 
my too partial friends4 ,i am only      
afraid ,i should  not disguise the      
circumstances enough1 if ,i were to     
arrange these facts  in the narrative   
form4 ,some of them are of such a       
nature1 that they  cannot be supposed to
 have happened more than once in the    
experience  of a generation2 and ,i feel
 that the greatest caution and delicacy 
are  necessary in the manner of their   
presentation1 not to offend the living  
or wrong the memory of the dead4    ,it 
is very easy for you1 the ,reader1 to   
sit down and run over the pages  of a   
monthly narrative as a boy skips a      
stone1--and the flatter and  thinner    
your capacity1 the more skips1 perhaps1 
you will make4 ,but ,i  tell you1 for a 
man who has live people to deal with1   
and hearts that  are beating even while 
he handles them1--a man who can go into 
families  and pull up by the roots all  

the mysteries of their dead generations 
and  their living sons' and daughters'  
secret history1--responsible for  what  
he says1 here and elsewhere1--open to a 
libel suit1 if he isn't  pretty careful 
in his personalities1 or to a visit from
 a brother or  other relative1 wishing  
to know1 ,sir1 and so forth1--or to a   
paragraph  in the leading journal of    
that whispering-gallery of a nation's   
gossip1  ,little ,millionville1 to the  
effect that--,we understand the         
personages  alluded to in the tale now  
publishing in the ,oceanic ,miscellany  
are  the ,reverend ,dr4 ,s---h and his  
accomplished lady1 the distinguished    
financier1 ,mr4 ,b---n1--and so through 
the whole list of characters2--,i  say1 
for a man who writes the pages you skim 
over1 it is a mighty  different piece of
 business4 ,why1 if ,i do tell all ,i   
know about some  things that have come  
to my cognizance1 ,i shall make you open
 your eyes  and spread your pupils1 as  
if you had been to the ,eye ,infirmary1 

and the  doctors there had anointed your
 lids with the extract of belladonna4   
,mark what ,i tell you6 ,i have happened
 to become intimately acquainted  with  
circumstances of a very extraordinary   
nature1--not1 perhaps1  without         
precedent1 but such as very few have    
been called upon to  witness4 ,suppose  
that ,i should see fit to tell these in 
connection with  the story of which they
 form a part8 ,i may render myself      
obnoxious to  persons whom it is not    
safe to offend1--persons that won't come
 out in  the public prints1 perhaps1 but
 will poke incendiary letters under your
  doors1--that won't step up to you in  
broad daylight1 and lug a ,colt out  of 
their pocket1 or draw a bowie-knife from
 their back1 where they had  carried it 
under their coat1 but who will dog you  
about to do you a  mischief unseen1--who
 will carry air-guns in the shape of    
canes1 and  hang round the place where  
you get your provisions1 and practise   
with  long-range rifles out in the      

lonely fields1--rifles that crack no    
louder  than a parlor-pistol1 but spit a
 bit of lead out of their mouths half a 
mile and more1 so that you wait as you  
do for the sound of the man's axe  who  
is chopping on the other side of the    
river1 to see the fellow you  have saved
 clap his hand to his breast and stagger
 over4 ,it makes me  nervous to think of
 such things4 ,i don't want to be       
suspicious of every  queer taste in my  
coffee1 and to shiver if ,i see a little
 powdered white  sugar on the upper     
crust of my pastry4 ,i don't want1 every
 time ,i hear a  door bang1 to think it 
is a ragged slug from an unseen         
gun-barrel4    ,if ,dick ,v---- was not 
killed on the ,pampas1 as they have     
always said  he was1 ,i should never    
sleep easy after telling my story4 ,for 
such a  fellow as he was would certainly
 see through all the disguises ,i could 
cover up a real-life story with1 and    
then----4 ,he has learned the use of    
the lasso too well for me to want to    

trust my neck anywhere within a rod  of 
him1 if there were light enough for him 
to see1 and nothing between  us1 and    
nobody near4    ,and besides1 there were
 a good many opinions handled by some of
 these  people ,i should have to talk   
about4 ,now1 of course1 a magazine like 
the  ,oceanic is no place for opinions4 
,look out for your ,mormon subscribers1 
if you question the propriety of        
,solomon's domestic arrangements6 ,and  
if you say one word that touches the    
,sandemanians1 be sure their whole      
press will be down on you2 for1 as      
,sandemanianism is the undoubted and    
absolutely true religion1 it follows1 of
 course1 that it is as sore as a        
scalded finger1 and must be handled like
 a broken bone4    ,add to this that ,i 
have always had the greatest objection  
to writing  anything which those who    
were not acquainted with the facts might
 call  a romance or a tale4 ,we think   
very ill of a man who offers us as a    
truth some single statement which we    

find he knew to be false4 ,now what  can
 we think of a man who tells three      
volumes1 or even one1 full of just  such
 lies8 ,of course the prim-facie aspect 
of the case is1 that he  is guilty of   
the most monstrous impertinence2 and1 in
 point of fact1  ,i confess the greatest
 disgust towards any person of whom ,i  
hear the  assertion that he has written 
a story1 unless ,i hear something more  
than that4 ,he is bound to show         
extenuating or justifying circumstances1
  as much as the man who writes what he 
calls poems4 ,for1 as the world  is full
 of real histories1 and every day in    
every great city begins and  ends a     
score or half a dozen score of tragic   
dramas1 it is a huge piece  of          
assumption to undertake to make one out 
of one's own head4 ,a man  takes refuge 
under your porch in a rain-storm1 and   
you offer him the use  of your          
shower-bath6    ,also1 ,i cannot help   
remembering1 that1 on the whole1 ,i have
 been more  intensely bored with works  

of fiction1--beginning with ,gil ,blas1 
and  ending with--on the whole1 ,i won't
 even mention it1--than ,i ever was by  
the ,latin ,grammar or ,rollin's        
,history4 ,naturally1 therefore1 ,i     
should  not wish to threaten my friends 
with the punishment ,i have endured from
  others4 ,but then1 as ,i said before1 
if ,i write down the circumstances  that
 have come to my knowledge1 with some   
account of persons1 opinions1  and      
conversations1 no one can accuse me of  
writing a novel1--a thing  which ,i     
never meant to do1 under any            
circumstances4    ----,after having     
carefully weighed my friends' arguments 
and my own  objections1 ,i have come to 
the conclusion to do pretty much as ,i  
like  about it4 ,now the truth is1 ,i   
have grown to be rather fonder of you1  
the  ,reader1 than ,i have ever been    
willing to confess4 ,you are such a     
good1  kind creature1--it takes so      
little to please you1--you laugh and cry
  so very obligingly at just the right  

time1--you send me such charming  notes1
 such dear little copies of             
verses1--nay1 7shall ,i venture to say  
it87 such prodigal tokens of kindness1  
some of you1 that ,i----in short1  ,i   
love you very much1 and cannot make up  
my mind to part with you4  ,rather than 
do this1 as ,i could not and would not  
write a romance1 ,i  have made up my    
mind to tell you something of some      
persons and events of  which ,i have    
known enough1--of some of them1 ,i might
 say1 too much4 ,of  course1 you must   
trust wholly to my discretion and sense 
of propriety1  in dealing with living   
personages1 recent events1 and subjects 
still in  dispute4 ,trusting that none  
of my friends will pay any attention to 
any  idle rumors tending to fix the     
personages or localities of which ,i    
shall  speak1 and reminding my readers  
that the narrative will constitute only 
a part of what ,i have to say1 inasmuch 
as there will be no small amount  of    
reflections introduced1 and perhaps of  

conversations reported1 ,i  begin this  
connected statement of facts with an    
essay on a social  phenomenon not       
hitherto distinctly recognized4         
,,chapter ,i4    ,,the ,,brahmin ,,caste
 ,,of ,,new ,,england      ,there is    
nothing in ,new ,england corresponding  
at all to the feudal  aristocracies of  
the ,old ,world4 ,whether it be owing to
 the stock from  which we were derived1 
or to the practical working of our      
institutions1  or to the abrogation of  
the technical law of honor1 which draws 
a  sharp line between the personally    
responsible class of gentlemen and  the 
unnamed multitude of those who are not  
expected to risk their lives  for an    
abstraction1--whatever be the cause1 we 
have no such aristocracy  here as that  
which grew up out of the military       
systems of the ,middle  ,ages4    ,what 
our people mean by aristocracy is merely
 the richer part of the  community1 that
 live in the tallest houses1 drive real 
carriages1 7not  kerridges17 kid-glove  

their hands1 and ,french-bonnet their   
ladies'  heads1 give parties where the  
persons who call them by the above title
  are not invited1 and have a           
provokingly easy way of dressing1       
walking1  talking1 and nodding to       
people1 as if they felt entirely at     
home1 and  would not be embarrassed in  
the least1 if they met the ,governor1 or
 even  the ,president of the ,united    
,states1 face to face4 ,some of these   
great  folks are really well-bred1 some 
of them are only purse-proud and        
assuming1--but they form a class1 and   
are named as above in the common        
speech4    ,it is in the nature of large
 fortunes to diminish rapidly1 when     
subdivided and distributed4 ,a million  
is the unit of wealth1 now and  here in 
,america4 ,it splits into four handsome 
properties2 each of these  into four    
good inheritances2 these1 again1 into   
scanty competences for  four ancient    
maidens1--with whom it is best the      
family should die out1  unless it can   

begin again as its grandfather did4 ,now
 a million is  a kind of golden cheese1 
which represents in a compendious form  
the  summer's growth of a fat meadow of 
craft or commerce2 and as this kind  of 
meadow rarely bears more than one crop1 
it is pretty certain that  sons and     
grandsons will not get another golden   
cheese out of it1 whether  they milk the
 same cows or turn in new ones4 ,in     
other words1 the  millionocracy1        
considered in a large way1 is not at all
 an affair of  persons and families1 but
 a perpetual fact of money with a       
variable  human element1 which a        
philosopher might leave out of          
consideration  without falling into     
serious error4 ,of course1 this trivial 
and fugitive  fact of personal wealth   
does not create a permanent class1      
unless some  special means are taken to 
arrest the process of disintegration in 
the  third generation4 ,this is so      
rarely done1 at least successfully1 that
  one need not live a very long life to 

see most of the rich families he  knew  
in childhood more or less reduced1 and  
the millions shifted into  the hands of 
the country-boys who were sweeping      
stores and carrying  parcels when the   
now decayed gentry were driving their   
chariots1 eating  their venison over    
silver chafing-dishes1 drinking ,madeira
 chilled in  embossed coolers1 wearing  
their hair in powder1 and casing their  
legs in  white-topped boots with silken 
tassels4    ,there is1 however1 in ,new 
,england1 an aristocracy1 if you choose 
to call  it so1 which has a far greater 
character of permanence4 ,it has grown  
to  be a caste1--not in any odious      
sense1--but1 by the repetition of the   
same influences1 generation after       
generation1 it has acquired a distinct  
organization and physiognomy1 which not 
to recognize is mere stupidity1  and not
 to be willing to describe would show a 
distrust of the  good-nature and        
intelligence of our readers1 who like to
 have us see all  we can and tell all we

 see4    ,if you will look carefully at 
any class of students in one of our     
colleges1 you will have no difficulty in
 selecting specimens of two  different  
aspects of youthful manhood4 ,of course 
,i shall choose extreme  cases to       
illustrate the contrast between them4   
,in the first1 the figure  is perhaps   
robust1 but often otherwise1--inelegant1
 partly from careless  attitudes1 partly
 from ill-dressing1--the face is uncouth
 in feature1 or  at least common1--the  
mouth coarse and unformed1--the eye     
unsympathetic1  even if bright1--the    
movements of the face clumsy1 like those
 of the  limbs1--the voice              
unmusical1--and the enunciation as if   
the words were  coarse castings1 instead
 of fine carvings4 ,the youth of the    
other aspect  is commonly slender1--his 
face is smooth1 and apt to be           
pallid1--his  features are regular and  
of a certain delicacy1--his eye is      
bright and  quick1--his lips play over  
the thought he utters as a pianist's    

fingers  dance over their music1--and   
his whole air1 though it may be timid1  
and  even awkward1 has nothing clownish4
 ,if you are a teacher1 you know what   
to expect from each of these young men4 
,with equal willingness1 the  first will
 be slow at learning2 the second will   
take to his books as a  pointer or a    
setter to his field-work4    ,the first 
youth is the common country-boy1 whose  
race has been bred to  bodily labor4    
,nature has adapted the family          
organization to the kind of  life it has
 lived4 ,the hands and feet by constant 
use have got more than  their share of  
development1--the organs of thought and 
expression less  than their share4 ,the 
finer instincts are latent and must be  
developed4  ,a youth of this kind is raw
 material in its first stage of         
elaboration4  ,you must not expect too  
much of any such4 ,many of them have    
force of  will and character1 and become
 distinguished in practical life2 but   
very  few of them ever become great     

scholars4 ,a scholar is almost always   
the  son of scholars or scholarly       
persons4    ,that is exactly what the   
other young man is4 ,he comes of the    
,brahmin  caste of ,new ,england4 ,this 
is the harmless1 inoffensive1 untitled  
aristocracy to which ,i have referred1  
and which ,i am sure you will  at once  
acknowledge4 ,there are races of        
scholars among us1 in which  aptitude   
for learning1 and all these marks of it 
,i have spoken of1  are congenital and  
hereditary4 ,their names are always on  
some college  catalogue or other4 ,they 
break out every generation or two in    
some  learned labor which calls them up 
after they seem to have died out4 ,at   
last some newer name takes their place1 
it may be1--but you inquire a  little   
and you find it is the blood of the     
,edwardses or the ,chauncys or  the     
,ellerys or some of the old historic    
scholars1 disguised under the  altered  
name of a female descendant4    ,i      
suppose there is not an experienced     

instructor anywhere in our  ,northern   
,states who will not recognize at once  
the truth of this general  distinction4 
,but the reader who has never been a    
teacher will very  probably object1 that
 some of our most illustrious public men
 have come  direct from the             
homespun-clad class of the people1--and 
he may1 perhaps1  even find a noted     
scholar or two whose parents were       
masters of the  ,english alphabet1 but  
of no other4    ,it is not fair to pit a
 few chosen families against the great  
multitude  of those who are continually 
working their way up into the           
intellectual  classes4 ,the results     
which are habitually reached by         
hereditary training  are occasionally   
brought about without it4 ,there are    
natural filters as  well as artificial  
ones2 and though the great rivers are   
commonly more  or less turbid1 if you   
will look long enough1 you may find a   
spring that  sparkles as no water does  
which drips through your apparatus of   

sands  and sponges4 ,so there are       
families which refine themselves into   
intellectual aptitude without having had
 much opportunity for  intellectual     
acquirements4 ,a series of felicitous   
crosses develops an  improved strain of 
blood1 and reaches its maximum          
perfection at last in  the large        
uncombed youth who goes to college and  
startles the hereditary  class-leaders  
by striding past them all4 ,that is     
,nature's republicanism2  thank ,god for
 it1 but do not let it make you         
illogical4 ,the race of the  hereditary 
scholar has exchanged a certain portion 
of its animal vigor  for its new        
instincts1 and it is hard to lead men   
without a good deal of  animal vigor4   
,the scholar who comes by ,nature's     
special grace from an  unworn stock of  
broad-chested sires and deep-bosomed    
mothers must always  overmatch an equal 
intelligence with a compromised and     
lowered vitality4  ,a man's breathing   
and digestive apparatus 7one is tempted 

to add  muscular7 are just as important 
to him on the floor of the ,senate as   
his thinking organs4 ,you broke down in 
your great speech1 did you8 ,yes1  your 
grandfather had an attack of dyspepsia  
in '#hb1 after working too  hard on his 
famous ,election ,sermon4 ,all this does
 not touch the main  fact3 our scholars 
come chiefly from a privileged order1   
just as our  best fruits come from      
well-known grafts1--though now and then 
a seedling  apple1 like the ,northern   
,spy1 or a seedling pear1 like the      
,seckel1  springs from a nameless       
ancestry and grows to be the pride of   
all the  gardens in the land4    ,let me
 introduce you to a young man who       
belongs to the ,brahmin caste of  ,new  
,england4      ,,chapter ,,ii4    ,,the 
,,student ,,and ,,his ,,certificate4    
,bernard ,c4 ,langdon1 a young man      
attending ,medical ,lectures at the     
school  connected with one of our       
principal colleges1 remained after the  
,lecture  one day and wished to speak   

with the ,professor4 ,he was a student  
of  mark1--first favorite of his year1  
as they say of the ,derby colts4  ,there
 are in every class half a dozen bright 
faces to which the teacher  naturally   
directs his discourse1 and by the       
intermediation of whose  attention he   
seems to hold that of the mass of       
listeners4 ,among these  some one is    
pretty sure to take the lead1 by virtue 
of a personal  magnetism1 or some       
peculiarity of expression1 which places 
the face in  quick sympathetic relations
 with the lecturer4 ,this was a young   
man  with such a face2 and ,i           
found1--for you have guessed that ,i was
 the  ,professor above-mentioned1--that1
 when there was anything difficult to   
be explained1 or when ,i was bringing   
out some favorite illustration of a     
nice point1 7as1 for instance1 when ,i  
compared the cell-growth1 by which      
,nature builds up a plant or an animal1 
to the glass-blower's similar  mode of  
beginning1--always with a hollow sphere1

 or vesicle1 whatever he  is going to   
make17 ,i naturally looked in his face  
and gauged my success  by its           
expression4    ,it was a handsome       
face1--a little too pale1 perhaps1 and  
would have  borne something more of     
fulness without becoming heavy4 ,i put  
the  organization to which it belongs in
 ,section ,c of ,class #a of my         
,anglo-,american ,anthropology          
7unpublished74 ,the jaw in this class is
 but  slightly narrowed1--just enough to
 make the width of the forehead tell    
more decidedly4 ,the moustache often    
grows vigorously1 but the whiskers  are 
thin4 ,the skin is like that of ,jacob1 
rather than like ,esau's4 ,one  string  
of the animal nature has been taken     
away1 but this gives only a  greater    
predominance to the intellectual chords4
 ,to see just how the  vital energy has 
been toned down1 you must contrast one  
of this section  with a specimen of     
,section ,a of the same class1--say1 for
 instance1 one  of the old-fashioned1   

full-whiskered1 red-faced1 roaring-big  
,commodores  of the last generation1    
whom you remember1 at least by their    
portraits1  in ruffled shirts1 looking  
as hearty as butchers and as plucky as  
bull-terriers1 with their hair combed   
straight up from their foreheads1  which
 were not commonly very high or broad4  
,the special form of physical  life ,i  
have been describing gives you a right  
to expect more delicate  perceptions and
 a more reflective nature than you      
commonly find in  shaggy-throated men1  
clad in heavy suits of muscles4    ,the 
student lingered in the lecture-room1   
looking all the time as if he  wanted to
 say something in private1 and waiting  
for two or three others1  who were still
 hanging about1 to be gone4             
,something is wrong6--,i said to myself1
 when ,i noticed his                    
expression4--,well1 ,mr4 ,langdon1--,i  
said to him1 when we were alone1--can   
,i do anything for you to-day8    ,you  
can1 ,sir1--he said4--,i am going to    

leave the class1 for the present1  and  
keep school4    ,why1 that's a pity1 and
 you so near graduating6 ,you'd better  
stay and  finish this course1 and take  
your degree in the spring1 rather than  
break up your whole plan of study4    ,i
 can't help myself1 ,sir1--the young man
 answered4--,there's trouble at  home1  
and they cannot keep me here as they    
have done4 ,so ,i must look out  for    
myself for a while4 ,it's what ,i've    
done before1 and am ready to do  again4 
,i came to ask you for a certificate of 
my fitness to teach a  common school1 or
 a high school1 if you think ,i am up to
 that4 ,are you  willing to give it to  
me8    ,willing8 ,yes1 to be sure1--but 
,i don't want you to go4 ,stay2 we'll   
make  it easy for you4 ,there's a fund  
will do something for you1 perhaps4     
,then  you can take both the annual     
prizes1 if you like1--and claim them in 
money1 if you want that more than       
medals4    ,i have thought it all       
over1--he answered1--and have pretty    

much made up  my mind to go4    ,a      
perfectly gentlemanly young man1 of     
courteous address and mild  utterance1  
but means at least as much as he says4  
,there are some people  whose rhetoric  
consists of a slight habitual           
understatement4 ,i often  tell ,mrs4    
,professor that one of her ,i think it's
 sos is worth the  ,bible-oath of all   
the rest of the household that they know
 it's so4  ,when you find a person a    
little better than his word1 a little   
more  liberal than his promise1 a little
 more than borne out in his statement   
by his facts1 a little larger in deed   
than in speech1 you recognize a  kind of
 eloquence in that person's utterance   
not laid down in ,blair or  ,campbell4  
,this was a proud fellow1 self-trusting1
 sensitive1 with  family-recollections  
that made him unwilling to accept the   
kind of aid  which many students--would 
have thankfully welcomed4 ,i knew him   
too well  to urge him1 after the few    
words which implied that he was         

determined  to go4 ,besides1 ,i have    
great confidence in young men who       
believe in  themselves1 and are         
accustomed to rely on their own         
resources from an  early period4 ,when a
 resolute young fellow steps up to the  
great bully1  the ,world1 and takes him 
boldly by the beard1 he is often        
surprised to  find it come off in his   
hand1 and that it was only tied on to   
scare away  timid adventurers4 ,i have  
seen young men more than once1 who came 
to a  great city without a single       
friend1 support themselves and pay for  
their  education1 lay up money in a few 
years1 grow rich enough to travel1 and  
establish themselves in life1 without   
ever asking a dollar of any person      
which they had not earned4 ,but these   
are exceptional cases4 ,there are       
horse-tamers1 born so1 as we all know2  
there are woman-tamers who  bewitch the 
sex as the pied piper bedeviled the     
children of ,hamelin2 and  there are    
world-tamers1 who can make any          

community1 even a ,yankee one1  get down
 and let them jump on its back as easily
 as ,mr4 ,rarey saddled  ,cruiser4      
,whether ,langdon was of this sort or   
not ,i could not say positively2 but  he
 had spirit1 and1 as ,i have said1 a    
family-pride which would not let  him be
 dependent4 ,the ,new ,england ,brahmin 
caste often gets blended with           
connections of political influence or   
commercial distinction4 ,it is a        
charming thing for the scholar1 when his
 fortune carries him in this way  into  
some of the old families who have fine  
old houses1 and city-lots  that have    
risen in the market1 and names written  
in all the stock-books  of all the      
dividend-paying companies4 ,his narrow  
study expands into a  stately library1  
his books are counted by thousands      
instead of hundreds1  and his favorites 
are dressed in gilded calf in place of  
plebeian  sheepskin or its pauper       
substitutes of cloth and paper4    ,the 
,reverend ,jedediah ,langdon1           

grandfather of our young gentleman1 had 
made an advantageous alliance of this   
kind4 ,miss ,dorothea ,wentworth had    
read one of his sermons which had been  
printed by request1 and became  deeply  
interested in the young author1 whom she
 had never seen4 ,out of  this          
circumstance grew a correspondence1 an  
interview1 a declaration1 a  matrimonial
 alliance1 and a family of half a dozen 
children4 ,wentworth  ,langdon1         
,esquire1 was the oldest of these1 and  
lived in the old  family-mansion4       
,unfortunately1 that principle of the   
diminution of  estates by division1 to  
which ,i have referred1 rendered it     
somewhat  difficult to maintain the     
establishment upon the fractional income
  which the proprietor received from his
 share of the property4 ,wentworth      
,langdon1 ,esq41 represented a certain  
intermediate condition of life  not at  
all infrequent in our old families4 ,he 
was the connecting link  between the    
generation which lived in ease1 and even

 a kind of state1  upon its own         
resources1 and the new brood1 which must
 live mainly by its  wits or industry1  
and make itself rich1 or shabbily       
subside into that  lower stratum known  
to social geologists by a deposit of    
,kidderminster  carpets and the peculiar
 aspect of the fossils constituting the 
family  furniture and wardrobe4 ,this   
slack-water period of a race1 which     
comes  before the rapid ebb of its      
prosperity1 is familiar to all who live 
in  cities4 ,there are no more quiet1   
inoffensive people than these children  
of rich families1 just above the        
necessity of active employment1 yet  not
 in a condition to place their own      
children advantageously1 if they  happen
 to have families4 ,many of them are    
content to live unmarried4  ,some mend  
their broken fortunes by prudent        
alliances1 and some leave a  numerous   
progeny to pass into the obscurity from 
which their ancestors  emerged2 so that 
you may see on hand-carts and cobblers' 

stalls names  which1 a few generations  
back1 were upon parchments with broad   
seals1  and tombstones with armorial    
bearings4    ,in a large city1 this     
class of citizens are familiar to us in 
the  streets4 ,they are very courteous  
in their salutations2 they have  time   
enough to bow and take their hats       
off1--which1 of course1 no  business-man
 can afford to do4 ,their beavers are   
smoothly brushed1 and  their boots well 
polished2 all their appointments are    
tidy2 they look  the respectable walking
 gentleman to perfection4 ,they are     
prone to  habits1--to frequent          
reading-rooms1 insurance-offices1--to   
walk the same  streets at the same      
hours1--so that one becomes familiar    
with their  faces and persons1 as a part
 of the street-furniture4    ,there is  
one curious circumstance1 that all      
city-people must have  noticed1 which is
 often illustrated in our experience of 
the slack-water  gentry4 ,we shall know 
a certain person by his looks1          

familiarly1 for  years1 but never have  
learned his name4 ,about this person we 
shall have  accumulated no little       
circumstantial knowledge2--thus1 his    
face1 figure1  gait1 his mode of        
dressing1 of saluting1 perhaps even of  
speaking1 may  be familiar to us2 yet   
who he is we know not4 ,in another      
department of  our consciousness1 there 
is a very familiar name1 which we have  
never  found the person to match4 ,we   
have heard it so often1 that it has     
idealized itself1 and become one of that
 multitude of permanent shapes  which   
walk the chambers of the brain in velvet
 slippers in the company  of ,falstaff  
and ,hamlet and ,general ,washington and
 ,mr4 ,pickwick4  ,sometimes the person 
dies1 but the name lives on             
indefinitely4 ,but now  and then it     
happens1 perhaps after years of this    
independent existence  of the name and  
its shadowy image in the brain1 on the  
one part1 and the  person and all its   
real attributes1 as we see them daily1  

on the other1  that some accident       
reveals their relation1 and we find the 
name we have  carried so long in our    
memory belongs to the person we have    
known so  long as a fellow-citizen4 ,now
 the slack-water gentry are among the   
persons most likely to be the subjects  
of this curious divorce of title  and   
reality1--for the reason1 that1 playing 
no important part in the  community1    
there is nothing to tie the floating    
name to the actual  individual1 as is   
the case with the men who belong in any 
way to the  public1 while yet their     
names have a certain historical         
currency1 and we  cannot help meeting   
them1 either in their haunts1 or going  
to and from  them4    ,to this class    
belonged ,wentworth ,langdon1 ,esq4 ,he 
had been dead-headed  into the world    
some fifty years ago1 and had sat with  
his hands in  his pockets staring at the
 show ever since4 ,i shall not tell you1
 for  reasons before hinted1 the whole  
name of the place in which he lived4  ,i

 will only point you in the right       
direction1 by saying that there are     
three towns lying in a line with each   
other1 as you go down ,east1 each  of   
them with a ,port in its name1 and each 
of them having a peculiar  interest     
which gives it individuality1 in        
addition to the ,oriental  character    
they have in common4 ,i need not tell   
you that these towns are  ,newburyport1 
,portsmouth1 and ,portland4 ,the        
,oriental character they have  in common
 consists in their large1 square1       
palatial mansions1 with sunny  gardens  
round them4 ,the two first have seen    
better days4 ,they are in  perfect      
harmony with the condition of weakened1 
but not impoverished1  gentility4 ,each 
of them is a paradise of demi-fortunes4 
,each of them  is of that intermediate  
size between a village and a city which 
any  place has outgrown when the        
presence of a well-dressed stranger     
walking  up and down the main street    
ceases to be a matter of public         

curiosity  and private speculation1 as  
frequently happens1 during the busier   
months  of the year1 in considerable    
commercial centres like ,salem4 ,they   
both  have grand old recollections to   
fall back upon1--times when they looked 
forward to commercial greatness1 and    
when the portly gentlemen in cocked     
hats1 who built their decaying wharves  
and sent out their ships all over  the  
world1 dreamed that their fast-growing  
port was to be the ,tyre or  the        
,carthage of the rich ,british ,colony4 
,great houses1 like ,lord ,timothy      
,dexter's1 in ,newburyport1 remain as   
evidence of the fortunes amassed  in    
these places of old4 ,other             
mansions--like the ,rockingham ,house in
  ,portsmouth 7look at the white horse's
 tail before you mount the broad        
staircase7 show that there was not only 
wealth1 but style and state1  in these  
quiet old towns during the last century4
 ,it is not with any  thought of pity or
 depreciation that we speak of them as  

in a certain  sense decayed towns2 they 
did not fulfil their early promise of   
expansion1 but they remain incomparably 
the most interesting places of  their   
size in any of the three northernmost   
,new ,england ,states4 ,they  have even 
now prosperity enough to keep them in   
good condition1 and  offer the most     
attractive residences for quiet         
families1 which1 if they  had been      
,english1 would have lived in a palazzo 
at ,genoa or ,pisa1 or  some other      
,continental ,newburyport or            
,portsmouth4    ,as for the last of the 
three ,ports1 or ,portland1 it is       
getting too  prosperous to be as        
attractive as its less northerly        
neighbors4 ,meant  for a fine old town1 
to ripen like a ,cheshire cheese within 
its walls  of ancient rind1 burrowed by 
crooked alleys and mottled with         
venerable  mould1 it seems likely to    
sacrifice its mellow future to a vulgar 
material prosperity4 ,still it remains  
invested with many of its old  charms1  

as yet1 and will forfeit its place among
 this admirable trio  only when it gets 
a hotel with unequivocal marks of having
 been built  and organized in the       
present century4    ----,it was one of  
the old square palaces of the ,north1 in
 which ,bernard  ,langdon1 the son of   
,wentworth1 was born4 ,if he had had the
 luck to be  an only child1 he might    
have lived as his father had done1      
letting his  meagre competence smoulder 
on almost without consuming1 like the   
fuel  in an air-tight stove4 ,but after 
,master ,bernard came ,miss ,dorothea   
,wentworth ,langdon1 and then ,master   
,william ,pepperell ,langdon1 and       
others1 equally well named1--a string of
 them1 looking1 when they stood  in a   
row in prayer-time1 as if they would fit
 a set of ,pandean pipes1 of  from three
 feet upward in dimensions4 ,the door of
 the air-tight store  has to be opened1 
under such circumstances1 you may well  
suppose6 ,so it  happened that our young
 man had been obliged1 from an early    

period1 to  do something to support     
himself1 and found himself stopped short
 in his  studies by the inability of the
 good people at home to furnish him the 
present means of support as a student4  
,you will understand now why the young  
man wanted me to give him a  certificate
 of his fitness to teach1 and why4 ,i   
did not choose to urge  him to accept   
the aid which a meek country-boy from a 
family without  ante-,revolutionary     
recollections would have thankfully     
received4 ,go he  must1--that was plain 
enough4 ,he would not be content        
otherwise4 ,he was  not1 however1 to    
give up his studies2 and as it is       
customary to allow  half-time to        
students engaged in                     
school-keeping1--that is1 to count  a   
year1 so employed1 if the student also  
keep on with his professional  studies1 
as equal to six months of the three     
years he is expected to  be under an    
instructor before applying for his      
degree1--he would not  necessarily lose 

more than a few months of time4 ,he had 
a small library  of professional books1 
which he could take with him4    ,so he 
left my teaching and that of my         
estimable colleagues1 carrying  with him
 my certificate1 that ,mr4 ,bernard ,c4 
,langdon was a young  gentleman of      
excellent moral character1 of high      
intelligence and good  education1 and   
that his services would be of great     
value in any school1  academy1 or other 
institution1 where young persons of     
either sex were to  be instructed4    ,i
 confess1 that expression1 either sex1  
ran a little thick1 as ,i  may say1 from
 my pen4 ,for1 although the young man   
bore a very fair  character1 and there  
was no special cause for doubting his   
discretion1  ,i considered him          
altogether too good-looking1 in the     
first place1 to be  let loose in a      
room-full of young girls4 ,i didn't want
 him to fall in  love just then1--and if
 half a dozen girls fell in love with   
him1 as  they most assuredly would1 if  

brought into too near relations with    
him1  why1 there was no telling what    
gratitude and natural sensibility might 
bring about4    ,certificates are1 for  
the most part1 like ostrich-eggs2 the   
giver never  knows what is hatched out  
of them4 ,but once in a thousand times  
they  act as curses are said to1--come  
home to roost4 ,give them often enough1 
until it gets to be a mechanical        
business1 and1 some day or other1 you   
will get caught warranting somebody's   
ice not to melt in any climate1 or      
somebody's razors to be safe in the     
hands of the youngest children4    ,i   
had an uneasy feeling1 after giving this
 certificate4 ,it might be all  right   
enough2 but if it happened to end badly1
 ,i should always reproach  myself4     
,there was a chance1 certainly1 that it 
would lead him or others  into danger or
 wretchedness4 ,any one who looked at   
this young man could  not fail to see   
that he was capable of fascinating and  
being fascinated4  ,those large1 dark   

eyes of his would sink into the white   
soul of a  young girl as the black cloth
 sunk into the snow in ,franklin's      
famous  experiment4 ,or1 on the other   
hand1 if the rays of a passionate nature
  should ever be concentrated on them1  
they would be absorbed into the  very   
depths of his nature1 and then his blood
 would turn to flame and  burn his life 
out of him1 until his cheeks grew as    
white as the ashes  that cover a burning
 coal4    ,i wish ,i had not said either
 sex in my certificate4 ,an academy for 
young gentlemen1 now2 that sounds cool  
and unimaginative4 ,a boys'  school2    
that would be a very good place for     
him2--some of them are  pretty rough1   
but there is nerve enough in that old   
,wentworth blood2 he  can give any      
country fellow1 of the common stock1    
twenty pounds1 and hit  him out of time 
in ten minutes4 ,but to send such a     
young fellow as that  out a             
girl's-nesting6 to give this falcon a   
free pass into all the  dove-cotes6 ,i  

was a fool1--that's all4    ,i brooded  
over the mischief which might come out  
of these two words  until it seemed to  
me that they were charged with destiny4 
,i could  hardly sleep for thinking what
 a train ,i might have been laying1     
which  might take a spark any day1 and  
blow up nobody knows whose peace or     
prospects4 ,what ,i dreaded most was one
 of those miserable matrimonial         
misalliances where a young fellow who   
does not know himself as yet  flings his
 magnificent future into the checked    
apron-lap of some  fresh-faced1         
half-bred country-girl1 no more fit to  
be mated with him  than her father's    
horse to go in double harness with      
,flora ,temple4 ,to  think of the       
eagle's wings being clipped so that he  
shall not ever  lift himself over the   
farm-yard fence6 ,such things happen1   
and always  must1--because1 as one of us
 said awhile ago1 a man always loves  a 
woman1 and a woman a man1 unless some   
good reason exists to the  contrary4    

,you think yourself a very fastidious   
young man1 my friend2 but  there are    
probably at least five thousand young   
women in these ,united  ,states1 any one
 of whom you would certainly marry1 if  
you were thrown  much into her company1 
and nobody more attractive were near1   
and she had  no objection4 ,and you1 my 
dear young lady1 justly pride yourself  
on your  discerning delicacy2 but if ,i 
should say that there are twenty        
thousand  young men1 any one of whom1 if
 he offered his hand and heart under    
favorable circumstances1 you would      
,first endure1 then pity1 then embrace1 
,i should be much more imprudent than ,i
 mean to be1 and you would1 no  doubt1  
throw down a story in which ,i hope to  
interest you4    ,i had settled it in my
 mind that this young fellow had a      
career marked  out for him4 ,he should  
begin in the natural way1 by taking care
 of poor  patients in one of the public 
charities1 and work his way up to a     
better  kind of practice1--better1 that 

is1 in the vulgar1 worldly sense4 ,the  
great and good ,boerhaave used to say1  
as ,i remember very well1 that the  poor
 were his best patients2 for ,god was   
their paymaster4 ,but everybody  is not 
as patient as ,boerhaave1 nor as        
deserving2 so that the rich1  though    
not1 perhaps1 the best patients1 are    
good enough for common  practitioners4  
,i suppose ,boerhaave put up with them  
when he could not  get poor ones1 as he 
left his daughter two millions of       
florins when he  died4    ,now if this  
young man once got into the wide        
streets1 he would sweep  them clear of  
his rivals of the same standing2 and as 
,i was getting  indifferent to business1
 and old ,dr4 ,kilham was growing       
careless1 and  had once or twice        
prescribed morphine when he meant       
quinine1 there would  soon he an opening
 into the ,doctors' ,paradise1--the     
streets with only  one side to them4    
,then ,i would have him strike a bold   
stroke1--set up a  nice little coach1   

and be driven round like a ,london      
first-class doctor1  instead of coasting
 about in a shabby one-horse concern and
 casting  anchor opposite his patients' 
doors like a ,cape-,ann fishing-smack4  
,by  the time he was thirty1 he would   
have knocked the social pawns out of    
his way1 and be ready to challenge a    
wife from the row of great pieces  in   
the background4 ,i would not have a man 
marry above his level1 so as  to become 
the appendage of a powerful             
family-connection2 but ,i would not     
have him marry until he knew his        
level1--that is1 again1 looking at the  
matter in a purely worldly point of     
view1 and not taking the sentiments  at 
all into consideration4 ,but remember1  
that a young man1 using large           
endowments wisely and fortunately1 may  
put himself on a level with the  highest
 in the land in ten brilliant years of  
spirited1 unflagging  labor4 ,and even  
to stand at the very top of your calling
 in a great city  is something1--that   

is1 if you like money and influence1 and
 a seat on  the platform at public      
lectures1 and gratuitous tickets to all 
sorts of  places where you don't want to
 go1 and1 what is a good deal better    
than  any of these things1 a sense of   
power1 limited1 it may be1 but absolute 
in its range1 so that all the ,caesars  
and ,napoleons would have to  stand     
aside1 if they came between you and the 
exercise of your special  vocation4     
,that is what ,i thought this young     
fellow might have come to2 and now ,i   
have let him go off into the country    
with my certificate1 that he is fit  to 
teach in a school for either sex6 ,ten  
to one he will run like a moth  into a  
candle1 right into one of those         
girls'-nests1 and get tangled up  in    
some sentimental folly or other1 and    
there will be the end of him4  ,oh1 yes6
 country doctor1--half a dollar a       
visit1--ride1 ride1 ride all  day1--get 
up at night and harness your own        
horse1--ride again ten miles  in a      

snow-storm1--shake powders out of two   
phials1 7pulv4 glycyrrhiz41  pulv4 gum4 
acac4 aa3 partes equates17--ride back   
again1 if you don't  happen to get stuck
 in a drift1--no home1 no peace1 no     
continuous meals1  no unbroken sleep1 no
 ,sunday1 no holiday1 no social         
intercourse1 but one  eternal jog1 jog1 
jog1 in a sulky1 until you feel like the
 mummy of an  ,indian who had been      
buried in the sitting posture1 and was  
dug up a  hundred years afterwards6 ,why
 didn't ,i warn him about love and all  
that nonsense8 ,why didn't ,i tell him  
he had nothing to do with it1 yet       
awhile8 ,why didn't ,i hold up to him   
those awful examples ,i could have      
cited1 where poor young fellows that    
could just keep themselves afloat  have 
hung a matrimonial millstone round their
 necks1 taking it for a  life-preserver8
    ,all this of two words in a         
certificate6          ,,andenken4       
,i4        ,through the silent streets  
of the city1    ,in the night's unbusy  

noon1    ,up and down in the pallor     
,of the languid summer moon1      ,i    
wander and think of the village1    ,and
 the house in the maple-gloom1    ,and  
the porch with the honeysuckles    ,and 
the sweet-brier all abloom4      ,my    
soul is sick with the fragrance    ,of  
the dewy sweet-brier's breath3    ,oh1  
darling6 the house is empty1    ,and    
lonesomer than death6      ,if ,i call1 
no one will answer2    ,if ,i knock1 no 
one will come2--    ,the feet are at    
rest forever1    ,and the lips are cold 
and dumb4      ,the summer moon is      
shining    ,so wan and large and still1 
,and the weary dead are sleeping    ,in 
the graveyard under the hill4           
,,ii4        ,we looked at the wide1    
white circle    ,around the autumn moon1
    ,and talked of the change of        
weather1--    ,it would rain1 to-morrow1
 or soon4      ,and the rain came on the
 morrow1    ,and beat the dying leaves  
,from the shuddering boughs of the      
maples    ,into the flooded eaves4      

,the clouds wept out their sorrow2      
,but in my heart the tears    ,are      
bitter for want of weeping1    ,in all  
these autumn years4        ,,iii4       
,it is sweet to lie awake musing    ,on 
all she has said and done1    ,to dwell 
on the words she uttered1    ,to feast  
on the smiles ,i won1      ,to think    
with what passion at parting    ,she    
gave me my kisses again1--    ,dear     
adieux1 and tears and caresses1--       
,oh1 love6 was it joy or pain8      ,to 
brood1 with a foolish rapture1    ,on   
the thought that it must be    ,my      
darling this moment is waking    ,with  
tenderest thoughts of me6      ,o sleep 
,i are thy dreams any sweeter8    ,i    
linger before thy gate3    ,we must     
enter at it together1    ,and my love is
 loath and late4        ,,iv4           
,the bobolink sings in the meadow1      
,the wren in the cherry-tree3    ,come  
hither1 thou little maiden1    ,and sit 
upon my knee2      ,and ,i will tell    
thee a story    ,i read in a book of    

rhyme2--    ,i will but feign that it   
happened    ,to me1 one summer-time1    
,when we walked through the meadow1     
,and she and ,i were young2--    ,the   
story is old and weary    ,with being   
said and sung4      ,the story is old   
and weary2--    ,ah1 child6 is it known 
to thee8    ,who was it that last night 
kissed thee    ,under the cherry-tree8  
,v4        ,like a bird of evil presage1
    ,to the lonely house on the shore   
,came the wind with a tale of shipwreck1
    ,and shrieked at the bolted door1   
,and flapped its wings in the gables1   
,and shouted the well-known names1      
,and buffeted the windows    ,afeard in 
their shuddering frames4      ,it was   
night1 and it is daytime1--    ,the     
morning sun is bland1    ,the white-cap 
waves come rocking1 rocking1    ,in to  
the smiling land4      ,the white-cap   
waves come rocking1 rocking1    ,in the 
sun so soft and bright1    ,and toss and
 play with the dead man    ,drowned in  
the storm last night4        ,,vi4      

,i remember the burning brushwood1      
,glimmering all day long    ,yellow and 
weak in the sunlight1    ,now leaped up 
red and strong1      ,and fired the old 
dead chestnut1    ,that all our years   
had stood1    ,gaunt and gray and       
ghostly1    ,apart from the sombre wood2
      ,and1 flushed with sudden summer1 
,the leafless boughs on high            
,blossomed in dreadful beauty           
,against the darkened sky4      ,we     
children sat telling stories1    ,and   
boasting what we should be1    ,when we 
were men like our fathers1    ,and      
watched the blazing tree1      ,that    
showered its fiery blossoms1    ,like a 
rain of stars1 we said1    ,of crimson  
and azure and purple4    ,that night1   
when ,i lay in bed1      ,i could not   
sleep for seeing1    ,whenever ,i closed
 my eyes1    ,the tree in its dazzling  
splendor    ,against the darkened skies4
      ,i cannot sleep for seeing1       
,with closed eyes to-night1    ,the tree
 in its dazzling splendor    ,dropping  

its blossoms bright2      ,and old1 old 
dreams of childhood    ,come thronging  
my weary brain4    ,dear foolish beliefs
 and longings2--    ,i doubt1 are they  
real again8      ,it is nothing1 and    
nothing1 and nothing1    ,that ,i either
 think or see2--    ,the phantoms of    
dead illusions    ,to-night are haunting
 me4          ,,central ,,british       
,,america4      ,even before the        
announcement of the discovery of gold   
upon the ,frazer  ,river and its        
tributaries1 the people of ,canada ,west
 had induced the  ,parliament of        
,england to institute the inquiry1      
whether the region of  ,british         
,america1 extending from ,lakes         
,superior and ,winnipeg to the ,rocky   
,mountains1 is not adapted by fertility 
of soil1 a favorable climate1  and      
natural advantages of internal          
communication1 for the support of a     
prosperous colony of ,england4    ,the  
,parliamentary investigation had a wider
 scope4 ,the select committee  of the   

,house of ,commons was appointed to     
consider the state of those  ,british   
possessions in ,north ,america which are
 under the administration  of the       
,hudson ,bay ,company1 or over which    
they possess a license to  trade2 and   
therefore witnesses were called to the  
organization and  management of the     
,company itself1 as well as the natural 
features of the  country under its      
administration4    ,on the #cast of     
,july1 #aheg1 the committee reported a  
large body of  testimony1 but without   
any decisive recommendations4 ,they     
apprehend  that the districts on the    
,red ,river and the ,saskatchewan are   
among those  most likely to be desired  
for early occupation1 and trust that    
there  will be no difficulty in         
effecting arrangements between her      
,majesty's  government and the ,hudson  
,bay ,company1 by which those districts 
may be  ceded to ,canada on equitable   
principles1 and within the districts    
thus  annexed to her the authority of   

the ,hudson ,bay ,company would of      
course  entirely cease4 ,they deemed it 
proper to terminate the connection  of  
the ,hudson ,bay ,company with          
,vancouver ,island as soon as it could  
conveniently be done1 as the best means 
of favoring the development of  the     
great natural advantages of that        
important colony2 and that means  should
 also be provided for the ultimate      
extension of the colony  over any       
portion of the adjacent continent1 to   
the west of the ,rocky  ,mountains1 on  
which permanent settlement may be found 
practicable4    ,these suggestions      
indicate a conviction that the zone of  
the ,north  ,american continent between 
latitudes #di and #ee1 embracing the    
,red  ,river and the ,saskatchewan      
districts1 east of the ,rocky           
,mountains1 and  the area on their      
western slope1 since organized as       
,british ,columbia1  was1 in the        
judgment of the committee1 suitable for 
permanent  settlement4 ,as to the       

territory north of the parallel of #ee1 
an opinion  was intimated1 that the     
organization of the ,hudson's ,bay      
,company was  best adapted to the       
condition of the country and its        
inhabitants4    ,within a year after the
 publication of this report1 a great    
change  passed over the ,north ,pacific 
coast4 ,the gold discovery on ,frazer's 
,river occurred2 the ,pacific           
populations flamed with excitement2     
,british  ,columbia was promptly        
organized as a colony of ,england2 and1 
amid  the acclamations of ,parliament   
and people1 ,sir ,edward ,bulwer ,lytton
  proclaimed1 in the name of the        
government1 the policy of continuous    
colonies from ,lake ,superior to the    
,pacific1 and a highway across ,british 
,america1 as the most direct route from 
,london to ,pekin or ,jeddo4    ,the    
eastern boundary of ,british ,columbia  
was fixed upon the ,rocky  ,mountains4  
,the question recurred1 with great      
force1 ,what shall be the  destiny of   

the fertile plains of the ,saskatchewan 
and the ,red ,river of  the ,north8     
,canada pushed forward an exploration of
 the route from ,fort  ,william1 on     
,lake ,superior1 to ,fort ,garry1 on the
 ,red ,river1 and1 under  the direction 
of ,s4,j4 ,dawson1 ,esq41 civil         
engineer1 and ,professor ,j4,y4  ,hinde1
 gave to the world an impartial and     
impressive summary of the  great natural
 resources of the basin of ,lake        
,winnipeg4 ,the merchants of  ,new ,york
 were prompt to perceive the advantages 
of connecting the ,erie  ,canal and the 
,great ,lakes--with the navigable       
channels of ,northwest  ,america1 now   
become prominent and familiar           
designations of commercial  geography4  
,a report to the ,new ,york ,chamber of 
,commerce very distinctly  corrected the
 erroneous impression1 that the valleys 
of the ,mississippi  and ,st4 ,lawrence 
rivers exhausted the northern and       
central areas which  are available for  
agriculture4 ,there is in the heart of  

,north ,america1  said the report1 a    
distinct subdivision1 of which ,lake    
,winnipeg may  be regarded as the       
centre4 ,this subdivision1 like the     
valley of the  ,mississippi1 is         
distinguished for the fertility of its  
soil1 and for the  extent and gentle    
slope of its great plains1 watered by   
rivers of great  length1 and admirably  
adapted for steam-navigation4 ,it has a 
climate not  exceeding in severity that 
of many portions of ,canada and the     
,eastern  ,states4 ,it will1 in all     
respects1 compare favorably with some of
 the  most densely peopled portions of  
the continent of ,europe4 ,in other     
words1 it is admirably fitted to become 
the seat of a numerous1  hardy1 and     
prosperous community4 ,it has an area   
equal to eight or ten  first-class      
,american ,states4 ,its great river1 the
 ,saskatchewan1 carries  a navigable    
water-line to the very base of the      
,rocky ,mountains4 ,it is  not at all   
improbable that the valley of this river

 may yet offer the  best route for a    
railroad to the ,pacific4 ,the navigable
 waters of this  great subdivision      
interlock with those of the             
,mississippi4 ,the ,red ,river  of the  
,north1 in connection with ,lake        
,winnipeg1 into which it falls1  forms a
 navigable water-line1 extending        
directly north and south nearly  eight  
hundred miles4 ,the ,red ,river is one  
of the best adapted to the use  of steam
 in the world1 and waters one of the    
finest prairie regions on  the          
continent4 ,between the highest point at
 which it is navigable1 and  ,st4 ,paul1
 on the ,mississippi1 a railroad is in  
process of construction2  and when this 
road is completed1 another grand        
division of the  continent1 comprising  
half a million square miles1 will be    
open to  settlement4    ,the sanguine   
temper of these remarks illustrates the 
rapid progress  of public sentiment     
since the date of the ,parliamentary    
inquiry1 only  eighteen months before4  

,of the same tenor1 though fuller in    
details1  were the publications on the  
subject in ,canada and even in ,england4
 ,the  year #ahei opened with greatly   
augmented interest in the district of   
,central ,british ,america4 ,the        
manifestation of this interest varied   
with  localities and circumstances4     
,in ,canada1 no opportunity was omitted1
 either in ,parliament or by the  press1
 to demonstrate the importance to the   
,atlantic and ,lake ,provinces  of      
extending settlements into the prairies 
of ,assinniboin and                     
,saskatchewan1--thereby affording       
advantages to ,provincial commerce and  
manufactures like those which the       
communities of the ,mississippi valley  
have conferred upon the older ,american 
,states4 ,nevertheless1 the  ,canadian  
government declined to institute        
proceedings before the ,english  ,court 
of ,chancery or ,queen's ,bench1 to     
determine the validity of the  charter  
of the ,hudson's ,bay                   

,company1--assigning1 as reasons for not
  acceding to such a suggestion by the  
law-officers of the crown1 that  the    
proposed litigation might be greatly    
protracted1 while the public  interests 
involved were urgent1--and that the duty
 of a prompt and  definite adjustment of
 the condition and relations of the ,red
 ,river  and ,saskatchewan districts was
 manifestly incumbent upon the ,imperial
  authority4    ,this decision1 added to
 the indisposition of ,lower ,canada to 
the policy  of westward expansion1 is   
understood to have convinced ,sir ,e4,b4
 ,lytton  that annexation of the        
,winnipeg basin to ,canada was          
impracticable1 and  that the exclusive  
occupation by the ,hudson's ,bay        
,company could be  removed only by the  
organization of a separate colony4 ,the 
founder of  ,british ,columbia devoted  
the latter portion of his administration
 of  the ,colonial ,office to measures  
for the satisfactory arrangement of     
conflicting interests in ,british       

,america4 ,in ,october1 #aheh1 he       
proposed  to the directors of the       
,hudson's ,bay ,company that they should
 be  consenting parties to a reference  
of questions respecting the validity    
and extent of their charter1 and        
respecting the geographical extent of   
their territory1 to the ,judicial       
,committee of the ,privy ,council4 ,the 
,company reasserted their right to the  
privileges granted to them by  their    
charter of incorporation1 and refused to
 be a consenting party to  any          
proceeding which might call in question 
their chartered rights4    ,under date  
of ,november #c1 #aheh1 ,lord           
,caernarvon1 ,secretary of ,state for   
the ,colonies1 by the direction of ,sir 
,e4,b4 ,lytton1 returned a dispatch1    
the tenor of which is a key not only to 
,sir ,edward's line of policy1  but1 in 
all probability1 to that of his         
successor1 the ,duke of  ,newcastle4    
,lord ,caernarvon began by expressing   
the disappointment and  regret with     

which ,sir ,e4,b4 ,lytton had received  
the communication1  containing1 if he   
understood its tenor correctly1 a       
distinct refusal on  the part of the    
,hudson's ,bay ,company to entertain any
 proposal with a  view of adjusting the 
conflicting claims of ,great ,britain1  
of ,canada1  and of the ,company1 or to 
join with her ,majesty's government in  
affording reasonable facilities for the 
settlement of the questions in  which   
,imperial no less than ,colonial        
interests were involved4 ,it had  been  
his anxious desire to come to some      
equitable and conciliatory  agreement1  
by which all legitimate claims of the   
,company should be  fairly considered   
with reference to the territories or the
 privileges  they might be required to  
surrender4 ,he suggested that such a    
procedure1  while advantageous to the   
interests of all parties1 might prove   
particularly for the interest of the    
,hudson's ,bay ,company4 ,it  would     
afford a tribunal preeminently fitted   

for the dispassionate  consideration of 
the questions at issue2 it would secure 
a decision  which would probably be     
rather of the nature of an arbitration  
than of  a judgment2 and it would       
furnish a basis of negotiation on which 
reciprocal concession and the claims for
 compensation could be most             
successfully discussed4    ,with such   
persuasive reiteration1 ,lord           
,caernarvon1 in the name and at  the    
instance of ,sir ,e4,b4 ,lytton1        
insisted that the wisest and most       
dignified course would be found in an   
appeal to and a decision by the         
,judicial ,committee of the ,privy      
,council1 with the concurrence alike of 
,canada and the ,hudson's ,bay ,company4
 ,in conclusion1 the ,company were  once
 more assured1 that1 if they would meet 
,sir ,e4,b4 ,lytton in finding  the     
solution of a recognized difficulty1 and
 would undertake to give all  reasonable
 facilities for trying the validity of  
their disputed charter1  they might be  

assured that they would meet with fair  
and liberal  treatment1 so far as her   
,majesty's government was concerned2 but
 if1  on the other hand1 the ,company   
persisted in declining these terms1 and 
could suggest no other practicable mode 
of agreement1 ,sir ,e4,b4 ,lytton  held 
himself acquitted of further            
responsibility to the interests of  the 
,company1 and proposed to take the      
necessary steps for closing a           
controversy too long open1 and for      
securing a definitive decision1 due     
alike to the material development of    
,british ,north ,america and to the     
requirements of an advancing            
civilization4    ,the communication of  
,lord ,caernarvon stated in addition1   
that1 in the  case last supposed1 the   
renewal of the exclusive license to     
trade in  any part of the ,indian       
territory--a renewal which could be     
justified  to ,parliament only as part  
of a general agreement adjusted on the  
principles of mutual concession--would  

become impossible4    ,these            
representations failed to influence the 
,company4 ,the  ,deputy-,governor1 ,mr4 
,h4,h4 ,barens1 responded1 that1 as1 in 
#ahej1 the  ,company had assented to an 
inquiry before the ,privy ,council into 
the  legality of certain powers claimed 
and exercised by them under their       
charter1 but not questioning the        
validity of the charter itself1 so1 at  
this time1 if the reference to the      
,privy ,council were restricted to the  
question of the geographical extent of  
the territory claimed by the  ,company1 
in accordance with a proposition made in
 ,july1 #aheg1 by ,mr4  ,labouchere1    
then ,secretary of ,state for the       
,colonies1 the directors  would         
recommend to their shareholders to      
concur in the course suggested2  but    
must decline to do so1 if the inquiry   
involved not merely the  question of the
 geographical boundary of the           
territories claimed by  them1 but a     
challenge of the validity of the charter

 itself1 and1 as a  consequence1 of the 
rights and privileges which it professed
 to grant1  and which the ,company had  
exercised for a period of nearly two    
hundred  years4 ,mr4 ,barens professed  
that the ,company had at all times been 
willing to entertain any proposal that  
might be made to them for the  surrender
 of any of their rights or of any       
portion of their territory2  but he     
regarded it as one thing to consent for 
a consideration to be  agreed upon to   
the surrender of admitted rights1 and   
quite another to  volunteer a consent to
 an inquiry which should call those     
rights in  question4    ,a result of    
this correspondence has been the        
definite refusal of the  ,crown to renew
 the exclusive license to trade in      
,indian territory4  ,the license had    
been twice granted to the ,company1     
under an act of  ,parliament authorizing
 it1 for periods of twenty-one          
years1--once  in #ahba1 and again in    
#ahch4 ,it expired on the #cjth of ,may1

 #ahei4 ,in  consequence of this        
refusal1 the ,company must depend       
exclusively upon  the terms of their    
charter for their special privileges in 
,british  ,america4 ,the charter dates  
from #afgj1--;a grant by ,charles ,,ii4 
to ,prince  ,rupert and his associates1 
adventurers of ,england1 trading into   
,hudson's ,bay1--and is claimed to give 
the right of exclusive trade and  of    
territorial dominion to ,hudson's ,bay  
and tributary rivers4 ,by the           
expiration of the exclusive license of  
,indian trade1 and the termination  in  
#ahei of the lease of ,vancouver's      
,island from the ,british government1   
the sway and influence of the ,company  
are greatly restricted1 and the         
feasibility of some permanent adjustment
 is proportionately increased4    ,there
 is no necessity for repeating here the 
voluminous argument for and  against the
 charter of the ,hudson's ,bay ,company4
 ,the interest of ,british  colonization
 in ,northwest ,america far transcends  

any technical inquiry  of the kind1 and 
the ,canadian statesmen are wise in     
declining to relieve  the ,english      
cabinet from the obligation to act      
definitely and speedily  upon the       
subject4 ,the organization of the ,east 
,india ,company was no  obstacle to a   
measure demanded by the honor of        
,england and the welfare  of ,india2 and
 certainly the parchment of the ,second 
,charles will  not deter any deliberate 
expression by ,parliament in regard to  
the  colonization of ,central ,british  
,america4 ,indeed1 the managers of the  
,hudson's ,bay ,company are always      
careful to recognize the probability of 
a compromise with the government4 ,the  
late letter of ,mr4 ,barens to ,lord    
,caernarvon expressed a willingness1 at 
any time1 to entertain proposals  for   
the surrender of franchises or          
territory2 and in #ahdh1 ,sir ,j4,h4    
,pelly1 ,governor of the ,company1 thus 
expressed himself in a letter to  ,lord 
,grey3--,as far as ,i am concerned1 7and

 ,i think the ,company will  concur1 if 
any great national benefit would be     
expected from it17 ,i  would be willing 
to relinquish the whole of the territory
 held under the  charter on similar     
terms to those which it is proposed the 
,east ,india  ,company shall receive on 
the expiration of their                 
charter1--namely1  securing the         
proprietors an interest on their capital
 of ten per cent4    ,at the adjournment
 of the ,canadian ,parliament and the   
retirement of the  ,derby ,ministry1 in 
the early part of #ahei1 the position   
and prospects of  ,english colonization 
in ,northwest ,america were as          
follows3--    #a4 ,vancouver's ,island  
and ,british ,columbia had passed from  
the  occupation of the ,hudson's ,bay   
,company into an efficient colonial     
organization4 ,the gold-fields of the   
interior had been ascertained to  equal 
in productiveness1 and greatly to exceed
 in extent1 those of  ,california4 ,the 
prospect for agriculture was no less    

favorable1--while  the commercial       
importance of ,vancouver and the harbors
 of ,puget's ,sound  is unquestionable4 
#b4 ,the eastern slope of the ,rocky    
,mountains and the valleys of the       
,saskatchewan and ,red ,river were shown
 by explorations1 conducted under  the  
auspices of the ,london ,geographical   
,society and the ,canadian  authorities1
 to be a district of nearly four hundred
 thousand square  miles1 in which a     
fertile soil1 favorable climate1 useful 
and precious  minerals1 fur-bearing and 
food-yielding animals1 in a word1 the   
most  lavish gifts of ,nature1          
constituted highly satisfactory         
conditions for  the organization and    
settlement of a prosperous community4   
#c4 ,in regard to the ,hudson's ,bay    
,company1 a disposition prevailed not to
  disturb its charter1 on condition that
 its directory made no attempts  to     
enforce an exclusive trade or to        
interfere with the progress of          
settlements4 ,all parties anticipated   

,parliamentary action4 ,letters from    
,london spoke with confidence of a bill1
 drafted and in circulation  among      
members of ,parliament1 for the erection
 of a colony between ,lakes  ,superior  
and ,winnipeg and the eastern limits of 
,british ,columbia1 with  a northern    
boundary resting on the parallel of #ee2
 and which1 although  postponed by a    
change of ministry1 was understood to   
represent the views  of the ,duke of    
,newcastle1 the successor of ,sir ,e4,b4
 ,lytton4    #d4 ,in ,canada ,west1 a   
system of communication from ,fort      
,william to ,fort  ,garry1 and thence to
 the ,pacific1 was intrusted to a       
company--the  ,northwest ,transit--which
 was by no means inactive4 ,a mail to   
,red  ,river1 over the same route1 was  
also sustained from the ,canadian       
treasury2 and ,parliament1 among the    
acts of its previous session1 had       
conceded a charter for a line of        
telegraph through the valleys of the    
,saskatchewan1 with a view to an        

extension to the ,pacific coast1 and    
even  to ,asiatic ,russia4              
,simultaneously with these movements in 
,england and ,canada1 the citizens  of  
the ,state of ,minnesota1 after a winter
 of active discussion1  announced a     
determination to introduce              
steam-navigation on the ,red  ,river of 
the ,north4 ,parties were induced to    
transport the machinery  and cabins1    
with timber for the hull of a steamer1  
from the ,upper  ,mississippi1 near     
,crow ,wing1 to the mouth of the        
,cheyenne1 on the ,red  ,river1 where   
the boat was reconstructed4 ,the first  
voyage of the steamer  was from ,fort   
,abercrombie1 an ,american post two     
hundred miles northwest  of ,saint      
,paul1 down north to ,fort ,garry1      
during the month of ,june4 ,the         
reception of the stranger was attended  
by extraordinary demonstrations  of     
enthusiasm at ,selkirk4 ,the bells of   
,saint ,boniface rang greeting1  and    
,fort ,garry blasted powder1 as if the  

,governor of the ,company were          
approaching its portal4 ,this unique1   
but interesting community1 fully        
appreciated the fact that steam had     
brought their interests within the      
circle of the world's activities4       
,this incident was the legitimate sequel
 to events in ,minnesota which had      
transpired during a period of ten years4
 ,organized as a ,territory in  #ahdi1 a
 single decade had brought the          
population1 the resources1 and the      
public recognition of an ,american      
,state4 ,a railroad system1 connecting  
the lines of the ,lake ,states and      
,provinces at ,la ,crosse with the      
international frontier on the ,red      
,river at ,pembina1 was not only        
projected1 but had secured in aid of its
 construction a grant by the  ,congress 
of the ,united ,states of three thousand
 eight hundred and  forty acres a mile1 
and a loan of ,state credit to the      
amount of twenty  thousand dollars a    
mile1 not exceeding an aggregate of five

 million  dollars4 ,different sections  
of this important extension of the      
,canadian and ,american railways were   
under contract and in process of        
construction4 ,in addition1 the         
land-surveys of the ,federal government 
had reached the navigable channel of the
 ,red ,river2 and the line of  frontier 
settlement1 attended by a weekly mail1  
had advanced to the same  point4 ,thus  
the government of the ,united ,states1  
no less than the  people and authorities
 of ,minnesota1 were represented in this
 ,northwest  movement4    ,still1 its   
consummation rests with the people and  
,parliament of ,england4  ,sir ,edward  
,bulwer ,lytton was prepared with a     
response to his own  memorable          
query1--,what will he do with it8 ,shall
 the ,liberal party be  less prompt and 
resolute in advancing the policy1       
announced from the  throne in #aheh1 of 
an uninterrupted series of ,british     
colonies across  the continent of ,north
 ,america8 ,this will be determined by  

the  ,parliamentary record of #ahfj4    
,,art4    ,,palmer',s ,,white ,,captive4
      ,once on a time a maiden dwelt    
with her father1--they two1 and no      
more1--in a rude log-cabin on the skirts
 of a grand old ,western                
forest1--majestic mountains behind them1
 and the broad1 free prairie in  front4 
,cut off from all ,christian            
companionship and the informing         
influences  of civilized arts1 all their
 news was of red men and of game1 their 
entertainments the ever-varying moods of
 ,nature1 their labors of the  rudest1  
their dangers familiar1 their           
solacements simple and solitary4  ,alone
 the sturdy hunter beat the woods all   
day1 on the track of  panthers1 bears1  
and deer2 alone1 all day1 his pretty    
daughter kept the  house against perils 
without and despondency within1--the gun
 and the  broom alike familiar to her   
hand4    ,commissioned to illumine the  
murk wilderness around her with the glow
  of her ,christian loveliness and      

faith1 ,nature had touched her with     
inspirations of refinement1 with a      
culture as unconscious as the growing   
of the grass1 and the clear intuitions  
of a spiritual life full of  heaven-born
 inclinations4 ,nature1 too1 had endowed
 her with fine lines  of beauty1        
attitudes of grace1 movements of dignity
 and love1 and all  the charmfulness    
that had learned its shapes from flowers
 and its arts  from birds4 ,nature's    
officers1 the elements1 had bestowed on 
her each  his appropriate gift1--the    
,air its crispness1 the ,earth its      
variety1 the  ,sun its brightness and   
its ruddy glow1 the very ,water from the
 well its  freshness and its fluent     
forms2 the stars repeated their         
friendliness in  her eyes1 the grass    
dimpled her pliant feet1 the breeze     
tossed her brown  hair in triumphs of   
the unstudied becoming1 and from the    
wildness all  about her she had her wit 
and her delightful ways2 ,morning lent  
her her  cheerfulness1 ,evening her     

pensiveness1 and ,night her soul4       
,but ,night1 that had given her the     
,christian soul1 true and wise1         
self-reliant and aspiring1 brought also 
the surprise and the peril that  should 
put it to the proof2 for once1 when the 
hunter was belated on his  path1 and    
sudden midnight had caught him beyond   
the mountain1 far  from the rest of his 
hearth and the song of his darling1 came
 the red  ,pawnees1 a treacherous       
crew1--doubly godless because           
ungrateful1 who had  broken the hunter's
 bread and slept on the hunter's        
blanket1--and laid  waste his hearth1   
and stole away his very heart4 ,for they
 dragged her  many a fearful mile of    
darkness and distraction1 through the   
black  woods1 and grim recesses of the  
rocks2 and there they stripped her      
naked1 and bound her to a stake1 as the 
day was breaking4 ,but the  ,christian  
heart was within her1 and the ,christian
 soul upheld her1 and  the ,christian's 
,god was by her side2 and so she stood1 

and waited1 and  was brave4    ,and here
 still she stands1 as the sculptor's    
soul sat down before her1  in a vision  
of faith and tenderness1 to receive her 
image1--stands and  waits for the pity  
and the help of you and me1 her brothers
 and her  lovers4 ,we long to rescue her
 and take her to our hearts2 we are     
touched  by her predicament1 as         
,michelet tells us the heart of the     
beholder is  moved by the bound         
,andromeda of ,puget1--that great artist
 in whom  dwelt the suffering soul of a 
depraved age1 and who all his life long 
sculptured forlorn captives1--,ah1 would
 ,i had been there to rescue the        
darling6    ,but we are told of the     
,andromeda1 that1 unconscious and almost
 dead1 she  knows not where she is1 nor 
who has come to set her free2 for1      
paralyzed  by the chafing of her chains1
 and even more by fear1 she cannot      
stand1  and seems utterly exhausted4    
,not so with our ,andromeda4 ,horror    
possesses her1 but indignation also2    

she is terrified1 but brave2 she        
shrinks1 but she repels2 and while all  
her beautiful body trembles and         
retreats1 her countenance confronts her 
captors1 and her steady gaze forbids    
them4 ,touch me not6 she says1  with    
every shuddering limb and every         
tensely-braced muscle1 with  lineaments 
all eloquent with imperious             
disgust1--,touch me not6    ,her lips   
quiver1 and tears are in her eyes1 7we  
do not forget that it  is of marble we  
are speaking1--there are tears in her   
eyes17 but they  only linger there2 she 
is not weeping now2 her chin trembles1  
and one of  her hands is convulsively   
clenched1--but it is with the anguish of
 her  sore besetting1 not the spasm of  
mortal fear4 ,though ,heaven and ,earth1
  indeed1 might join to help her1 we yet
 know that the soul of the maiden  will 
help itself1--that her hope clings fast1
 and her courage is  undaunted1 and her 
faith complete4    ,among her thronged  
emotions we look in vain for shame4 ,her

 nakedness is  a coarse chance of her   
overwhelming situation1 for which she is
 no more  concerned than for her galled 
wrists or her dishevelled hair4 ,what is
 it  to such a queen as she1 that the   
eyes of grinning brutes are blessed by  
her perfect beauties8    ,the qualities 
which constitute true greatness in a    
statue such as this  are1 if we         
apprehend them aright1--first1 that     
sublime simplicity of  ,idea which      
omnipotently sways the beholder1 and    
alike inspires his  coarseness or his   
culture2 next1 that personality1 that   
moving humanness  of feeling1 which     
holds him by his very heart-strings1 and
 makes him  forget its marble1 to accept
 its flesh and blood2 and1 finally1 that
  wondrous skill of nice manipulation1  
which1 neglecting nothing in the  myriad
 of anatomical and physiological        
details1--not even the faintest  sigh or
 the dimmest tremor1--tells1 fibre by   
fibre1 a tale that all may  read1 and   
comes to us with a story to hold        

children from play and old  men from the
 chimney-corner4    ,tried by this      
definition1 we believe the ,white       
,captive proves its  claim to genuine   
greatness1 and that it will presently   
take its place1  with the world's       
consent1 in the front rank of modern    
statues1--good  among the best1 in the  
flesh-and-bloodness and the soul of it4 
,it is  original1 it is faithful1 it is 
,american2 our women may look upon it1  
and say1 ,she is one of us1 with more   
satisfaction than the ,greek women      
could have derived from the ,venus de'  
,medici1 with its insignificant  head   
and its impossible spine4    ,especially
 true to the ,american type1 as compared
 in statues with the  familiar ,greek1  
the head of the ,white ,captive is      
large2 but that it  is too large1 or in 
excess of the least of a thousand female
 heads that  have been gathered around  
it since it was first exposed to the    
public scrutiny1 we have failed to      
discover in repeated and careful        

examinations2 and we are constrained to 
commend such as may be exercised  on    
that point to the critical flippancies  
of the jaunty gentlemen who  find the   
hips at once too broad and too narrow1  
the bosom too full and  too young1 the  
arms too meagre and too stout4          
,,forest ,,photographs4      ,we call   
the attention of our readers to a series
 of twelve photographic  views of forest
 and lake scenery published by ,mr4     
,j4,w4 ,black1 ,boston1  from negatives 
taken by ,mr4 ,stillman in the          
,adirondack country4 ,the  points of    
view are chosen with the fine feeling of
 an artist1 and the  tangled profusion  
and grace of the forest1 with the       
moment's whim of  sunfleck and shadow1  
are given with exquisite delicacy4      
,whatever  the all-beholding sun could  
see in those woodland depths we have    
here1--sketches of the shaggy ,pan      
snatched at unawares in sleep4 ,one may 
study these pictures till he becomes as 
familiar as a squirrel with fern  and   

tree-bark and moose-wood and lichen1    
till he knows every trunk and  twig and 
leaf as intimately as a sunbeam4        
,,reviews ,,and ,,literary ,,notices4   
,plutarch's ,lives4 ,the ,translation   
called ,dryden's4 ,corrected from the   
,greek1 and ,revised1 by ,a4,h4         
,,clough1 sometime ,fellow and ,tutor of
  ,oriel ,college1 ,oxford1 and late    
,professor of the ,english ,language and
  ,literature at ,university ,college1  
,london4 ,boston3 ,little1 ,brown1      
,company4 #ahei4 ,five vols4 #hvo4      
,in these five handsome volumes1 we     
have1 at length1 a really good  edition 
in ,english of ,plutarch's ,lives4 ,one 
of the most delightful books  in the    
world1 one of the few universal         
classics1 appears for the first  time in
 our language in a translation worthy of
 its merits4    ,mr4 ,clough1 whose name
 is well known1 not only by scholars1   
but also by  the lovers of poetry1 has  
performed the work of editor with       
admirable  diligence1 fidelity1 and     

taste4 ,the labor of revision has been  
neither  slight nor easy4 ,it has1      
indeed1 amounted to not much less than  
would  have been required for the making
 of a new translation4 ,the versions in 
the translation that bears ,dryden's    
name1 made1 as they were1 by various    
hands1 and apparently not submitted to  
the revision of any competent  scholar1 
were unequal in execution1 and were     
disfigured by many  mistakes1 as well as
 by much that was slovenly in style4 ,at
 the time  they were made1 scholarship  
in ,england was not at a high point4    
,bentley  had not yet lifted it out of  
mediocrity1 and the translators were not
  stimulated by the fear either of      
severe criticism or of comparison  of   
their labors with any superior work4    
,the numerous defects of this           
translation are spoken of by the        
,langhornes1 in the ,preface to their   
own1 with a somewhat jealous severity1  
which gives unusual vigor to  their     
sentences4 ,the diversities of style1   

say they1 were not the  greatest fault  
of this strange translation4 ,it was    
full of the grossest  errors4 ,ignorance
 on the one hand1 and hastiness or      
negligence on the  other1 had filled it 
with absurdities in every ,life1 and    
inaccuracies on  almost every page4     
,this is a hard1 perhaps an extreme     
judgment2 but it  serves to show the    
difficulties that would attend a        
revision of such a  work4 ,these        
difficulties ,mr4 ,clough has fairly met
 and overcome4 ,we  do not mean to say  
that he has reduced the whole book to a 
perfect  uniformity1 or even to entire  
elegance and exactness of style2 but he 
has corrected inaccuracies1 he has      
removed the chief marks of negligence   
or haste2 and1 after a careful          
comparison of a considerable portion of 
the work as it now appears with the     
,greek text1 we have no hesitation in   
saying that this translation answers not
 merely to the demands of  modern       
scholarship1 but forms a book at once   

essentially accurate and  delightful for
 common reading4,a ,we think1 moreover1 
that ,mr4 ,clough  was right in choosing
 the so-called ,dryden's translation as 
the basis of  his work4 ,its style is   
not old enough to have become           
antiquated1 while  yet it possesses much
 of the savor and raciness of age4 ,the 
book  is interesting from ,dryden's     
connection with it1 but still more      
so--considering how slight that         
connection was1 his only contribution to
  it being the ,life of ,plutarch--from 
the fact1 that the translations of  some
 of the ,lives were made by famous men1 
as that of ,alcibiades by ,lord         
,chancellor ,somers1 and that of        
,alexander by the excellent ,john       
,evelyn2  while others were made by men 
who1 if not famous1 are at least well   
remembered by the lovers of the         
literature of the time1--as that of     
,numa by ,sir ,paul ,rycaut1 the ,turkey
 merchant1 and the continuer of ,dr4    
,johnson's favorite history of the      

,turks1--that of ,otho by ,pope's       
friend1  the medical poet1 ,dr4         
,garth1--that of ,solon by ,creech1 the 
translator of  ,lucretius1--that of     
,lysander by the ,honorable ,charles    
,boyle1 whose name  is preserved in the 
alcohol of ,bentley's classical         
satire1--and that of  ,themistocles by  
,edward1 the son of ,sir ,thomas        
,browne4    ,footnote ,a3 ,for the sake 
of illustration of the care and labor   
given by  ,mr4 ,clough to the revision1 
we open at random on the ,life of ,dion1
 ,vol4  ,v41 p4 #bia1 and1 comparing it 
with the original ,dryden1 we find1 that
  in ten pages1 to the end of the ,life1
 there are but three1 and they  short   
sentences1 in which changes of more or  
less consequence have not  been made4   
,these changes amount sometimes to      
entire new translation1  sometimes      
consist merely in the correction of a   
few words4 ,throughout1  the hand of the
 thorough scholar is apparent4 ,the     
earlier volumes of the  series would1   

probably1 rarely exhibit such           
considerable alterations4    ,but ,mr4  
,clough's labors have not been merely   
those of reviser and  corrector4 ,he has
 added greatly to the value of the work 
by occasional  concise foot-notes1 as   
well as by notes contained in an        
appendix to each  volume4 ,so excellent1
 indeed1 are these notes1 so full of    
learning and  information1 conveyed in  
an agreeable way1 that we cannot but    
feel a  regret 7not often excited by    
commentators7 that their number is not  
greater4 ,in addition to these1 the     
fifth volume contains a very  carefully 
prepared and full ,index of ,proper     
,names1 which is followed by  a list for
 reference as to their pronunciation4   
,when this version1 to which ,dryden    
gave his name1 was made1 there was no   
other in ,english but that of ,sir      
,thomas ,north1 which had been made1 not
  from the ,greek1 but from the ,french 
of ,amyot1 and was first published in   
#aegi4 ,it was a good work for its time1

 and worthy of being dedicated to       
,queen ,elizabeth1 although1 as the     
knight declares1 she could better       
understand it in ,greek than any man can
 make it ,english4 ,its style is  rather
 robust than elegant1 partaking of the  
manly vigor of the language  of its     
time1 and now and then exhibiting       
something of that charm of  quaint      
simplicity which belongs to its         
original1 ,montaigne's favorite  ,amyot4
 ,of all our ,french writers1 says the  
incomparable essayist1  ,i give1 with   
justice1 ,i think1 the palm to ,jacques 
,amyot2,b and  thereupon he goes on to  
praise the purity of his style1 as well 
as the  depth of his learning and       
judgment4 ,but1 although ,amyot had a   
true  imagination of his author1 he was 
not always exact in giving his  meaning4
 ,the learned ,dr4 ,guy ,patin says3 ,on
 dit que ,m4 de ,meziriac  avoit corrig 
dans son ,amyot huit mille fautes1 et   
qu',amyot n'avoit  pas de bons          
exemplaires1 ou qu'il n'avoit pas bien  

entendu le ,grec de  ,plutarque4,c      
,footnote ,b3 ,essays1 ,book ,,ii4 #d4  
,footnote ,c3 ,patiniana4    ,amyot's   
eight thousand errors were not          
diminished in passing into ,sir  ,thomas
 ,north's ,english2 but their number    
mattered little to the readers  of those
 days1 who found in the thick folio     
enough of interest to spare  them from  
making inquiry as to the exactness of   
its rendering of the  meaning of        
,plutarch4 ,from the time of its first  
publication1 for more  than a hundred   
years1 it was one of the most popular   
books of the  period1 as was proved by  
the appearance of six successive        
editions in  folio4,d ,some of these    
clumsy volumes may1 no doubt1 have been 
put  to uses as ignoble as that which   
,chrysale1 in ,les ,femmes ,savantes1   
suggests for his sister's similar copy  
of ,amyot3--      ,vos livres ternels ne
 me contentent pas2    ,et1 hors un gros
 ,plutarque  mettre mes rabats1    ,vous
 devriez bruler tout ce meuble          

inutile2--    but duller books of the   
same size1 of which there were many in  
those  days of patient readers1 would   
have had an equal value for such        
economical purposes as this1 and ,the   
,lives of the ,noble ,grecians and      
,romans by that ,grave ,learned         
,philosopher  ,historiographer ,plutarch
  were too entertaining to young and old
 to be left for any length of time      
quietly upon the shelf4 ,they were the  
familiar reading of boys who  were to   
become the actors in the great drama of 
the ,rebellion and the  ,commonwealth1  
or who a little later were to frequent  
the dissolute court  of ,charles1       
presenting in their own lives1 whether  
in camp or court1 as  patriots or as    
traitors1 parallels to those which they 
had read in the  weighty pages of the   
old biographer4    ,footnote ,d3 ,in    
#aegi1 #aeie1 #afjb1 #afca1 #afeg1      
#afgf4 ,mr4 ,hooper1 in his             
,introduction to ,chapman's ,homer1     
,london1 #aheg1 says1 that the edition  

of #afeg was published under the        
superintendence of the illustrious      
,selden4 ,we do not know his authority  
for this statement4 ,the fact1 if  it be
 one1 is very remarkable1 as ,selden's  
death took place in #afed4    ,nor in   
more recent times has ,north's version  
failed of admirers4 ,godwin  declared1  
that1 till this book fell into his      
hands1 he had no genuine  feeling of    
,plutarch's merits1 or knowledge of what
 sort of a writer he  was4 ,but the     
chief interest of this translation at   
the present day1  except what it        
possesses as a storehouse of good       
mother-,english1 comes  from the fact   
that it was one of the books of         
,shakespeare's moderate  library1 and   
one which he had thoroughly read1 as is 
manifest from the  use that he made of  
it in his own works1 especially in      
,coriolanus1  ,julius ,caesar1 and      
,antony and ,cleopatra4 ,it was from the
 worthy  knight's folio that he got much
 of his little ,latin and less ,greek4  

,he  helped himself freely to what was  
to his purpose2 and a comparison of  the
 passages which he borrowed from with   
the scenes founded upon them is         
interesting1 as showing his use of the  
very words of the author before  him1   
and as exhibiting the new appearances   
which those words take on  under his    
plastic hand4 ,we have no space for long
 extracts2 but a short  illustration    
will serve to show that ,shakespeare is 
the best translator  of ,plutarch into  
,english that we have had4 ,compare     
these two passages3--    ,therefore1    
when she ,cleopatra was sent unto by    
divers letters1 both  from ,antonius    
himself and also from his friends1 she  
made so light of  it1 and mocked        
,antonius so much1 that she disdained to
 set forward  otherwise1 but to take her
 barge in the river of ,cydnus2 the poop
  whereof was of gold1 the sails of     
purple1 and the oars of silver1 which   
kept stroke in rowing after the sound of
 the musick of flutes1 bowboys1         

citherns1 viols1 and such other         
instruments as they played upon in the  
barge4 ,and now for the person of       
herself1 she was laid under a pavillion 
of cloth of gold of tissue1 apparelled  
and attired like the goddess  ,venus1   
commonly drawn in picture2 and hard by  
her1 on either hand of  her1 pretty fair
 boys apparelled as painters do set     
forth god ,cupid1  with little fans in  
their hands1 with which they fanned wind
 upon her4  ,her ladies and gentlewomen 
also1 the fairest of them were          
apparelled  like the ,nymphs ,nereides  
7which are the ,myrmaids of the waters7 
and like  the ,graces2 some steering the
 helm1 others tending the tackle and    
ropes  of the barge1 out of the which   
there came a wonderful passing sweet    
savour of perfumes1 that perfumed the   
wharf's side1 pestered with  innumerable
 multitudes of people4 ,some of them    
followed the barge all  along the river 
side2 others also ran out of the city to
 see her coming  in4 ,so that in the end

 there ran such multitudes of people one
  after another to see her1 that        
,antonius was left post alone in the    
market-place1 in his imperial seat to   
give audience4--,,north',s  ,plutarch1  
,life of ,antonius1 p4 #gfc4 ,ed4 of    
#afgf4    ,enobarbus4 ,when she first   
met ,mark ,antony1 she pursed up his    
heart  upon the river of ,cydnus4       
,agrippa4 ,there she appeared1 indeed2  
or my reporter devised well for  her4   
,eno4 ,i will tell you4    ,the barge   
she sat in1 like a burnish'd throne1    
,burnt on the water3 the poop was beaten
 gold2    ,purple the sails1 and so     
perfumed that    ,the winds were        
lovesick2 with them the oars were       
silver1    ,which to the tune of flutes 
kept stroke1 and made    ,the water1    
which they beat1 to follow faster1      
,as amorous of their strokes4 ,for her  
own person1    ,it beggar'd all         
description3 she did lie    ,in her     
pavilion1 7cloth of gold1 of tissue17   
,o'er-picturing that ,venus where we see

    ,the fancy outwork ,nature3 on each 
side her    ,stood pretty dimpled boys1 
like smiling ,cupids1    ,with          
divers-color'd fans1 whose wind did seem
    ,to glow the delicate cheeks which  
they did cool1    ,and what they undid1 
did4      ,agr4     ,oh1 rare for       
,antony6      ,eno4 ,her gentlewomen1   
like the ,nereids1    ,so many mermaids1
 tended her i' the eyes1    ,and made   
their bends adornings3 at the helm    ,a
 seeming mermaid steers2 the silken     
tackle    ,swell with the touches of    
those flower-soft hands1    ,that yarely
 frame the office4 ,from the barge    ,a
 strange invisible perfume hits the     
sense    ,of the adjacent wharfs4 ,the  
city cast    ,her people out upon her1  
and ,antony1    ,enthron'd i' th'       
market-place1 did sit alone1            
,whistling to the air1 which1 but for   
vacancy1    ,had gone to gaze on        
,cleopatra too1    ,and made a gap in   
,nature4    ,antony and ,cleopatra4 ,act
 ,,ii4 ,sc4 #b4    ,the operations of   

,shakespeare's creative imagination are 
rarely to be  observed more distinctly  
than in such instances as this1 where we
 see  the precise source from which he  
drew1 in all its original limitations   
and native character4 ,books were to him
 like ingots of gold1 which1  passing   
through the mint of his brain1 came out 
thence stamped coin1  current for all   
time4 ,viewing some of his plays1 it may
 be said1 with no  real1 though with    
apparent contradiction1 that no man ever
 borrowed more  from books1 and yet none
 ever owed less to them4 ,for the ,roman
 times  ,plutarch served him1 as        
,holinshed and ,hall supplied him for   
his ,english  histories4 ,under         
,plutarch's guidance he walked through  
the streets of  ancient ,rome1 and      
became familiar with the conduct of her 
men4 ,he is  more ,roman than ,plutarch 
himself1 and by divine right of         
imagination he  makes himself a citizen 
of the ,eternal ,city4 ,while           
,shakespeare was using  ,plutarch to    

such advantage1 on the other hand1 ,ben 
,jonson seems to have  borrowed little  
or nothing from him in his ,roman plays4
 ,he got what he  wanted out of the     
,latin authors1 and he succeeded in     
,latinizing his  plays1--in giving to   
his characters the dress1 but not the   
spirit of  ,rome4    ,it was toward the 
end of the seventeenth century that     
,dryden's  translation appeared1 and for
 about fifty years it held much the same
  place with the reading public that    
,north's had filled for previous        
generations4 ,it was1 no doubt1 in this 
version that ,mrs4 ,fitzpatrick  amused 
herself during her seclusion in         
,ireland1 as she tells ,sophia          
,western1 with reading a great deal in  
,plutarch's ,lives4 ,but this was  at   
length superseded by the translation of 
the brothers ,langhorne1  which1 spite  
of its want of vivacity1 its labored    
periods1 and formal  narrative1 has     
retained its place as the popular       
version of ,plutarch up  to the present 

day4 ,one can hardly help wishing--so   
little of ,plutarch's  spirit survives  
in their dull pages--that a similar fate
 had overtaken  these excellent men to  
that which carried off the gentle ,abb  
,ricard  with the grippe1 when he had   
published but half of his translation of
  the ,philosopher of ,cheronaea4    ,it
 is a proof of the intrinsic charm of   
,plutarch's ,lives1 that thus1          
notwithstanding the imperfect manner in 
which they have been1 up to this  time1 
presented to ,english readers1 they     
should have been so constantly  and so  
generally read4,e ,they have given equal
 delight to all ages and  to all        
classes4 ,the heavy folio has been taken
 from its place on the  lower shelves in
 the quiet libraries of ,english        
country-houses1 and been  read by old   
men at their firesides1 by girls in trim
 gardens1 by boys  who cared for no     
other classic4 ,the cheap double-column 
octavo has  travelled in peddlers' carts
 to all the villages of ,new ,england1  

to  the backwoodsman's cabin in the     
,west4 ,it has taken its place on the   
clock-shelf1 with only the ,bible1 the  
,pilgrim's ,progress1 and the  ,almanac 
for its companions4 ,no other classic   
author1 with1 perhaps1 the  single      
exception of ,aesop1 has been so widely 
read in modern times2 and  the popular  
knowledge of the men of ,greece and     
,rome is derived more  from ,plutarch   
than from all other ancient authors put 
together4 ,the  often-repeated saying of
 ,theodore ,gaza1 who1 being once asked1
 if  learning should suffer a general   
shipwreck1 and he had the choice of     
saving one author1 which he would       
select1 is said to have replied1        
,plutarch1--and probably might give this
 reason1 says ,dryden1 that  in saving  
him he should secure the best collection
 of them all1--this  saying is but a    
sort of prophecy of the decision of the 
common world1  who have chosen ,plutarch
 from all the rest1 and find1 as ,amyot 
says1 no  one else so profitable and so 

pleasant to read as he4,f    ,footnote  
,e3 ,we have not spoken of ,mr4 ,long's 
translations of ,select  ,lives from    
,plutarch1 which were published in the  
series of ,knight's  ,weekly ,volumes1  
under the title of ,the ,civil ,wars of 
,rome1 because1  although executed in a 
manner deserving the highest praise1    
they  presented to ,english readers but 
a limited number of ,plutarch's         
biographies4 ,mr4 ,clough says1 justly1 
in his ,preface1 that his own work      
would not have been needed1 had not ,mr4
 ,long confined his translations  within
 so narrow a compass4    ,footnote ,f3  
,de tous les auteurs1 says the ,baron de
 ,grimm1 qui nous  restent de           
l'antiquit1 ,plutarque est1 sans        
contredit1 celui qui a  recueilli le    
plus de vrits de fait et de spculation4 
,ses oeuvres sont  une mine inpuisable  
de lumieres et de connaissance2 c'est   
vraiment  l'encyclopdie des anciens4    
,mmoires ,historiques1 etc41 ,i41 #cab4 
,nor is it merely the common mass of    

readers who have chosen ,plutarch as    
their favorite ancient4 ,the list of    
great and famous men who have made  him 
their companion is a long one4 ,men of  
action and men of thought have  taken   
equal satisfaction in his pages4        
,petrarch1 the first scholar of  the    
,revival1 held him in high esteem1 and  
drew from him much of his  uncommon     
learning4 ,erasmus1 the first scholar of
 the ,reformation1 made  his writings a 
special study1 and translated from the  
,greek a large  portion of his ,moral   
,works4 ,montaigne has taken pains to   
tell us of his  affection for him1 and  
his ,essays are full of the proofs of   
it4 ,i never  seriously settled myself1 
he says1 to the reading of any book of  
solid learning but ,plutarch and        
,seneca4,g ,and in another essay he     
adds1--,the familiarity ,i have had with
 these two authors1 and the  assistance 
they have lent to my age1 and to my book
 wholly built up of  what ,i have taken 
from them1 oblige me to stand up for    

their honor4,h  ,and again he           
declares1--,the hooks ,i chiefly use to 
form my opinions are  ,plutarch1 since  
he became ,french1 and ,seneca4,i ,the  
genial humanity  and liberal wisdom of  
,plutarch claimed the sympathy of       
,montaigne1 while  his discursive style 
and love of story-telling suited no less
 the taste  of his disciple4 ,montaigne1
 as it were1 makes ,plutarch a modern1  
and  uses his books to illustrate the   
passing times4 ,he introduces him to new
  characters1 and reads his judgment    
upon them4 ,he finds in him a hundred   
things that others had not seen4 ,it is 
a wide step from ,montaigne  to         
,rousseau1 and yet1 spite of the        
naturalness of the one and the          
artificiality of the other1 there were  
some points of resemblance  between     
them1 and they harmonize in their love  
for a common master1  ,rousseau has     
written of ,plutarch as ,montaigne      
felt1--,dans le petit  nombre de livres 
que je lis quelquefois encore1          

,plutarque est celui  qui m'attache et  
me profite le plus4 ,ce fut la premire  
lecture de mon  enfance1 et sera la     
dernire de ma vieillesse2 c'est presque 
le seul  auteur que je n'ai jamais lu   
sans en tirer quelque fruit4,j          
,plutarch's  ,lives was one of the few  
books recommended to ,catharine ,,ii4 of
 ,russia1  as she herself tells us1     
wherewith to solace and instruct herself
 during  the first wretched years of her
 miserable married life4 ,it is1        
perhaps1  not impossible to trace in    
some passages of her later life the     
results  of what she then read4         
,footnote ,g3 ,essays4 ,book ,i41       
,chapter #be4    ,footnote ,h3 ,essays1 
,,ii4 #bc4    ,footnote ,i3 ,ibid4 ,,ii4
 #aj4    ,footnote ,j3 ,les ,rveries    
d'un ,promeneur ,solitaire4 ,quatrime   
,promenade4    ,and thus we might go on 
accumulating the names of men and women 
whom  all the world knows1 who have     
confessed their obligations to the old  
biographer1--philosophers like ,bacon1  

warriors like ,bussy d',amboise1  poets 
like ,wordsworth2 while many a one has  
owed much to him who has  made no open  
acknowledgment of his debt4 ,montaigne  
somewhere complains  of the unlicensed  
stealings from his author2 and ,udall1  
in his ,preface  to the ,apophthegms of 
,erasmus1 declares1--,it is a thing     
scarcely  believable1 how much1 and how 
boldly as well1 the common writers that 
from time to time have copied out his   
,plutarch's works1 as also  certain that
 have thought themselves liable to      
control and amend all  men's doings1    
have taken upon them in this author1 who
 ought with  all reverence to be handled
 of them1 and with all fear to have been
  preserved from altering1 depraving1 or
 corrupting4,k    ,footnote ,k3 ,the    
following passage presents a view of    
some of the uses  to which ,plutarch's  
narratives were turned during the       
,middle ,ages4 ,or  personne n'ignore   
que les chroniqueurs du moyen ge        
compilaient les  faits les plus         

remarquables de l'criture ,sainte ou des
 histoires  profanes pour les mler      
leurs rcits4 ,c'est ainsi que ceux qui  
ont  crit la vie de ,du ,guesclin ont   
mis sur le compte de ce hros ce  que    
,plutarque rapporte de plus mmorable des
 grands hommes de                       
l'antiquit4--,,souvestre4 ,les ,derniers
 ,bretons4 ,i4 #adg4    ,the question   
naturally arises1 ,what are the         
qualities in ,plutarch which  have made 
him so universal a favorite1 which have 
attracted towards him  men of such      
opposite tempers and different lives8   
,it is not enough  to say that all real 
biography is of interest1--that every   
man  has curiosity about the life of    
every other man1 and finds in it        
illustrations of his own4 ,other writers
 of lives have not had the same  fortune
 with ,plutarch4 ,for one reader of     
,suetonius or of ,diogenes  ,lartius1   
there are a thousand of ,plutarch4 ,nor 
is it that the subjects  of his         
biographies are greater or more famous  

than all other men4 ,some  of the       
noblest and best known men of ,greece   
and ,rome are omitted from  ,plutarch's 
list4,l ,the true grounds of the general
 popularity of  ,plutarch's ,lives are  
not to be found in their subjects so    
much as in  his manner of treating them1
 and in the qualities of his own nature1
 as  exhibited in his book4 ,at the tomb
 of ,achilles1 ,alexander declared that 
he esteemed him happy in having had so  
famous a poet to proclaim his  actions2 
and scarcely less fortunate were they   
who had such a biographer  as ,plutarch 
to record their lives4 ,he himself has  
given us his  conception of the true    
office of a biographer1 and in this has 
explained  in great part the secret of  
his excellence4 ,it must be borne in    
mind1  he says1 that my design is not to
 write histories1 but lives4 ,and  the  
most glorious exploits do not always    
furnish us with the clearest            
discoveries of virtue or vice in men2   
sometimes a matter of less moment1  an  

expression or a jest1 informs us better 
of their characters and  inclinations   
than the most famous sieges1 the        
greatest armaments1 or the  bloodiest   
battles whatsoever4 ,therefore1 as      
portrait-painters are more  exact in the
 lines and features of the face1 in     
which the character is  seen1 than in   
the other parts of the body1 so ,i must 
be allowed to give  my more particular  
attention to the marks and indications  
of the souls  of men2 and1 while ,i     
endeavor by these to portray their      
lives1 may be  free to leave more       
weighty matters and great battles to be 
treated of by  others4,m    ,footnote   
,l3 ,in ,rogers's ,recollections1       
,grattan is reported as  saying1--,of   
all men1 if ,i could call up one1 it    
should be ,scipio  ,africanus4 ,hannibal
 was perhaps a greater captain1 but not 
so great and  good a man4 ,epaminondas  
did not do so much4 ,themistocles was a 
rogue4  ,it is curious that             
,themistocles is the only one of these  

men of whom we  have a biography by     
,plutarch4 ,his ,lives of ,scipio and   
,epaminondas are  lost4 ,hannibal did   
not come within the scope of his design4
    ,footnote ,m3 ,life of ,alexander1  
at the beginning4    ,it is his fidelity
 to this principle1 his dealing with    
events and  circumstances chiefly as    
they illustrate character1 his          
delineation of  the features of the     
souls of men1 that constitutes          
,plutarch's highest  merit as a         
biographer4 ,he is no historian2 he     
often neglects chronology1  and         
disregards the sequence of events2 he   
omits many incidents1 and he  avoids the
 details of national and political      
affairs4 ,the progress of  the advance  
or decline of states is not to be       
learned from his pages4  ,but if his    
,lives be read in chronological order1  
much may be inferred  from them of the  
moral condition and changes of the      
communities in which  the men flourished
 whose characters and actions he        

describes4 ,biography  is thus made to  
cast an incidental light upon history4  
,the successes  of ,alexander give      
evidence of the lowering of the ,greek  
spirit1 and  illustrate the immemorial  
weakness of ,oriental tyrannies4 ,the   
victories  and the defeats of ,pyrrhus  
alike display the vigor of ,republican  
,rome4  ,the character and the fate of  
,mark ,antony show that vigor at its    
ebb1  and foretell the near fall of the 
,roman liberties4 ,thus in his long     
series of lives of noble ,grecians and  
,romans1 the motives and principles     
which lay at the foundation of the      
characters of the men who moulded the   
fate of ,greece and ,rome1 the          
reciprocal influences of their times    
upon  these men and of these men upon   
their times1 may all be traced with more
  or less distinctness and certainty4   
,it was not ,plutarch's object to       
exhibit them in sequent evolution1 but1 
in attaining the object which he  had in
 view1 he could not fail to make them   

manifest to the thoughtful  reader4 ,his
 book1 though not a history1 is         
invaluable to historians4    ,but the   
character of ,plutarch himself1 not less
 than his method of  writing biography1 
explains his universal popularity1 and  
gives its  special charm and value to   
his book4 ,he was a man of large and    
generous  nature1 of strong feeling1 of 
refined tastes1 of quick perceptions4   
,his  mind had been cultivated in the   
acquisition of the best learning of his 
times1 and was disciplined by the study 
of books as well as of men4 ,he         
deserves the title of philosopher2 but  
his philosophy was of a practical       
rather than a speculative               
character1--though he was versed in the 
wisest  doctrines of the great masters  
of ancient thought1 and in some of his  
moral works shows himself their not     
unworthy follower4 ,above all1 he was  a
 man of cheerful1 genial1 and receptive 
temper4 ,a lover of justice and  of     
liberty1 his sympathies are always on   

the side of what is right1  noble1 and  
honorable4 ,he believed in a divine     
ordering of the world1  and saw         
obscurely through the mists and shadows 
of heathenism the  indications of the   
wisdom and rectitude of an overruling   
,providence4  ,to him man did not appear
 as the sole arbiter of his own destiny1
 but  rather as an unconscious agent in 
working out the designs of a ,higher    
,power2 and yet1 as these designs were  
only dimly and imperfectly to  be       
recognized1 the noblest man was he who  
was truest to the eternal  principles of
 right1 who was most independent of the 
chances and  shiftings of fortune1 who1 
fortressed on conscience and impregnable
  will1 strove to live in the manliest  
and most self-supported relations  with 
the world1 neither fearing nor hoping   
much in regard to the  uncertainties of 
the future1 and who      metus omnes et 
inexorabile fatum    ,subjecit pedibus4 
,in his whole character1 ,plutarch shows
 himself one of the best examples  of   

the intelligent heathen of the later    
classic period4 ,his ,writings  contain 
the practical essence of the results of 
,greek and ,roman life  and thought4    
,his intellect1 equally removed from    
superstition and  from skepticism1 was  
open with a large receptiveness1 which  
sometimes  approaches to credulity1 to  
the traditions of early wonders1 to the 
reports of recent miracles1 and to the  
stories of the deeds and sayings  of    
men4,n ,the evidence upon which he      
reports is often insufficient to        
establish the statements that he makes2 
but his readiness to tell the  current  
stories gives to his biographies a      
peculiar interest1 adding  to their     
entertainment1 and at the same time to  
their value as  representations of      
common beliefs and popular fancies4 ,he 
is one of the  best story-tellers of    
antiquity1 and from his works a series  
of ,percy  ,anecdotes of ancient men    
might easily be compiled4 ,such         
anecdotes will  not1 says he1 in his    

,life of ,timoleon1 be thought1 ,i      
conceive1 either  foreign to my purpose 
of writing lives1 or unprofitable in    
themselves1  by such readers as are not 
in too much haste1 or busied and taken  
up  with other concerns4 ,it is this    
fulness of anecdote1 which1 perhaps1    
more than any other quality of his      
writings1 makes him the favorite  of    
boys as well as of men4 ,he treasures up
 pithy sayings1 and his own  reflections
 are often epigrammatic in expression1  
and always full of  good sense4         
,footnote ,n3 ,there are two remarkable 
passages in the ,life of  ,coriolanus   
which illustrate ,plutarch's opinions   
upon these points4 ,the  first 7ii4 #ia7
 treats of the divine influence on the  
human will and  action2 the second 7ii4 
#ig-ih7 relates to the mode of regarding
 events  seemingly incredible4 ,this    
latter is peculiarly distinguished by   
its  good sense and clear statement4 ,it
 closes with the memorable saying1      
,knowledge of divine things for the most

 part1 as ,heraclitus says1 is  lost to 
us by incredulity4    ,in his ,life of  
,demosthenes1 in a passage which is     
pleasant on account of  its personal    
reference1 ,plutarch speaks of the      
advantage that it would  be for a writer
 like himself to reside in some city    
addicted to liberal  arts1 and populous1
 where he might have access to many     
books1 and to  many persons from whom he
 might gather up such facts as books do 
not  contain4 ,but as for me1 he says1  
,i live in a little town1 where ,i am   
willing to continue1 lest it should grow
 less4 ,and he goes on to excuse        
himself for his imperfect knowledge of  
the ,roman tongue1 which unfits  him to 
draw a comparison between the orations  
of ,demosthenes and of  ,cicero4 ,but1  
although his acquaintance with the      
structure and powers  of the language   
may have been insufficient to enable him
 to venture on  literary criticism1 his 
acquaintance with the books of the      
,romans was  considerable1 and he had   

thoroughly studied the ,greek authors   
who had  written on ,roman affairs4 ,his
 own library1 or the libraries to which 
he  had access at ,chaeronea1 must have 
been well furnished with the books  most
 important for his studies4 ,he is said 
to quote two hundred and  fifty authors1
 some eighty of whom are among those    
whose works have been  wholly or partly 
lost4 ,he made careful use of his       
materials1 which were1  of course1 more 
abundant for his ,greek than for his    
,roman narratives4  ,if we would put the
 ,lives of ,plutarch to a severe test1  
says ,mr4 ,long1  than whom no one is   
better qualified to speak with authority
 upon the  subject1 we must carefully   
examine his ,roman ,lives4 ,he says that
 he  knew ,latin imperfectly1 and he    
lived under the ,empire1 when many of   
the  educated ,romans had but a         
superficial acquaintance with the       
earlier  history of their state4 ,we    
must therefore expect to find him       
imperfectly  informed on ,roman         

institutions2 and we can detect him in  
some errors4  ,yet1 on the whole1 his   
,roman ,lives do not often convey       
erroneous  notions2 if the detail is    
incorrect1 the general impression is    
true4  ,they may be read with profit by 
those who seek to know something of     
,roman affairs1 and have not knowledge  
enough to detect an error4 ,they        
probably contain as few mistakes as most
 biographies which have been  written by
 a man who is not the countryman of     
those whose lives he  writes4    ,yet1  
spite of his general accuracy and his   
impartial temper1 the  representations  
which ,plutarch makes of the characters 
which he  describes are not always to be
 accepted as fair delineations4         
,unconscious prejudice1 or misconception
 of circumstances and relations1        
sometimes leads him into apparent       
injustice4 ,thus1 for example1 while he 
bears hardly upon ,demosthenes1 and sets
 out many of his actions in too         
unfavorable lights1 he1 on the other    

hand1 interprets the conduct and        
character of ,phocion with manifest     
indulgence1 and presents a flattered    
portrait of a man whose death turned    
popular reproaches into pity1 but  was  
insufficient to redeem the faults of his
 life4    ,mr4 ,grote1 in his ,history1 
passes a very different judgment upon   
these  two men from that to which one   
would be led by the perusal of          
,plutarch's  narratives merely4 ,and it 
is an illustration1 at once1 of the     
honesty of  the ancient biographer1 and 
of the ability of the modern historian1 
that  ,mr4 ,grote should not            
infrequently derive from ,plutarch's own
 account the  means for correcting his  
false estimate of the motives and the   
actions  of those whom he misjudged4    
,in an excellent passage in his         
,preface1 ,mr4 ,clough remarks that     
,much has been said of ,plutarch's      
inaccuracy2 and it cannot be denied     
that he is careless about numbers1 and  
occasionally contradicts his own        

statements4 ,a greater fault1 perhaps1  
is his passion for anecdote2 he  cannot 
forbear from repeating stories the      
improbability of which he is  the first 
to recognize1 which1 nevertheless1 by   
mere repetition1  leave unjust          
impressions4 ,he is unfair in this way  
to ,demosthenes and  ,pericles1--against
 the latter of whom1 however1 he        
doubtless inherited  the prejudices     
which ,plato handed down to the         
philosophers4    ,it is true1 also1 that
 his unhistorical treatment of the      
subjects  of his biography makes him    
often unsatisfactory and imperfect in   
the  portraits he draws4 ,much1 of      
course1 in the public lives of statesmen
  can find its only explanation in their
 political position2 and of this        
,plutarch often knows and thinks little4
 ,so far as the researches of  modern   
historians have succeeded in really     
recovering a knowledge of  relations of 
this sort1 so far1 undoubtedly1 these   
biographies stand in  need of their     

correction4 ,yet1 in the uncertainty    
which must attend all  modern           
restorations1 it is agreeable1 and      
surely also profitable1 to  recur to    
portraits drawn ere new thoughts and    
views had occupied the  civilized world1
 without reference to such disputable   
grounds of  judgment1 simply upon the   
broad principles of the ancient moral   
code of  right and wrong4 4444 ,we have 
here the faithful record of the         
historical  tradition of ,plutarch's    
age4 ,this is what1 in the second       
century of  our era1 ,greeks and ,romans
 loved to believe about their warriors  
and  statesmen of the past4 ,as a       
picture1 at least1 of the best ,greek   
and  ,roman moral views and moral       
judgments1 as a presentation of the     
results  of ,greek and ,roman moral     
thought1 delivered1 not under the       
pressure  of calamity1 but as they      
existed in ordinary times1 and actuated 
plain-living people1 in country places1 
in their daily life1 ,plutarch's        

writings are of indisputable value4     
,of all the biographies contained in his
 work1 none might excite greater        
suspicion of incorrectness than that of 
,timoleon1 on account of the            
extraordinary character both of the man 
and of the incidents of his  career4    
,his story reads like a romance of the  
ancient times1 like a  legend of some   
half-mythical hero1 rather than like the
 true account of  an actual man4 ,there 
is1 perhaps1 none among his ,lives which
 ,plutarch  has written with greater    
spirit1 with livelier sympathies1 than  
this4  ,and yet1 in spite of all its    
seeming improbability1 there is little  
reason to question its essential truth4 
,it corresponds1 with some minor        
exceptions1 with all that can be        
ascertained from other ancient authors  
who wrote concerning the deliverer of   
,sicily2 and even ,mitford1 with all    
his zeal in the cause of tyrants1 can   
find little to detract from the  praise 
of ,timoleon1 or to diminish our        

confidence in the truth of  ,plutarch's 
account of him4    ,but1 in addition to 
the interest that belongs to these      
biographies1  from their intrinsic      
qualities1 as affected by the character 
of  ,plutarch1--beside the interest     
which the common reader or the student  
of biography and history may find in    
them1 they possess a still deeper       
interest for the student of human       
nature1 in its various modifications1   
under varying influences1 and in        
different ages1 from exhibiting to him1 
in a long series1 many of the chief     
characters of the heathen world  in such
 form as fits them for comparison with  
the prominent men of  ,christian times4 
,the question of the effect of          
,christianity upon the  characters and  
lives of the leading actors in modern   
history is not more  important than it  
is difficult of solution4 ,plutarch1    
better than any  other ancient writer1  
affords the means of estimating the     
motives1 the  principles1 the objects1  

of the men of the old time4 ,we see in  
his pages  what they were2 we see the   
differences between them and the men of 
later  days4 ,how far are those         
differences exhibitions of inferiority  
or of  superiority8 ,how far do they    
result from the influence of secondary  
causes8 how far from the change in      
religious belief8    ,no man who knows  
much of the course of history will      
venture to insist  greatly on any       
essential change for the better having  
been wrought as  yet by ,christianity in
 the manner in which the affairs of the 
world are  carried on4 ,christianity has
 not yet been fairly tried4 ,nations    
calling themselves ,christian are still 
governed on heathen principles4         
,christianity has been for the most part
 perverted and misunderstood4 ,the      
grossest errors have been taught in its 
name1 are still taught in its  name4    
,falsehood has claimed the authority of 
truth1 and its claim has  been granted4 
,the stream which flowed out pure from  

its source has been  caught in foul     
cisterns1 has been led into narrow      
channels1 has been  made stagnant in    
desolate pools and wide-spread weedy    
marshes4 ,the  doctrine of ,christ has  
had thus far in the world but very few  
hearers  who have understood it4 ,many a
 modern creed might well go back to     
heathenism for improvement4 ,this       
perversion of ,christianity is a  chief 
element in the difficulty of tracing the
 real influence of true  ,christian     
teaching upon character4 ,it is this    
which compels us to draw  a parallel1   
not so much between the actual          
characters of ancient and  modern times1
 if we would rightly understand the     
differences between  them1 as between   
what we may assume to be the ideal      
standards of the  heathen and the       
,christian4 ,but to treat this subject  
with the fulness  and in the manner     
which it deserves would lead us too far 
from ,plutarch1  and we have done enough
 in suggesting it as matter for         

reflection to  those who read his       
,lives4    ,one of the most marked      
differences in the position of the      
ancient and  the modern man is that     
which has been quietly and gradually    
brought  about by science2 but its      
effect is little recognized by the mass 
of men  or the most wide-spread         
churches4 ,it is the difference of his  
recognized  relations to the universe4  
,while this earth was supposed to be the
  central point and main effort of      
creation1 while the earth itself  was   
unknown1 and all the regions of space   
were regarded as void and  untenanted1  
save by the inventions of fancy1 man may
 have seemed to  himself a creature of  
large proportions and of considerable   
importance4  ,he measured himself with  
the gods and the half-gods1 and found   
himself  not much their inferior4 ,in   
reading ,plutarch1 one cannot fail to be
  struck with the manly self-reliance of
 his best men of action4 ,their  piety  
had no weakness of self-abasement in it4

 ,they possessed a piety  toward        
themselves as well as toward the gods4  
,timoleon1 who was attended  by the     
good-fortune that waits on noble        
character1 erected in the house  which  
the ,syracusans bestowed upon him an    
altar to ,greek3 ,automatia1  which1 as 
,mr4 ,clough well remarks1 in a note1 is
 almost equivalent to  ,spontaneousness4
 ,his successes had come1 as it were1 of
 themselves4 ,the  act was an           
acknowledgment of divine favor1 and an  
assertion at the  same time of his      
individual independence of action4 ,this
 spirit of  self-dependence was the     
grandest feature of ,greek and ,roman   
heathenism2  and it is in this1 if in   
anything1 that a superiority of         
character is  manifest in the men of    
ancient times4 ,the famous passage in   
,seneca's  tragedy1 in which ,medea     
asserts herself as sufficient to stand  
alone  against the universe1 contains   
its essence and is its complete         
expression4      ,nutr4 ,spes nulla     

monstrat rebus adflictis viam4          
,med4 ,qui nil potest sperare1 desperet 
nihil4      ,nutr4 ,abiere ,colchi2     
conjugis nulla est fides2    ,nihilque  
superest opibus e tantis tibi4          
,med4 ,medea superest2 hic mare et      
terras vides1    ,ferrumque1 et ignes1  
et deos1 et fulmina4    ,medea1 ,act ii4
 #afb-afg4    ,here is self-reliance at 
its highest point2 the strength of      
resolute  will measuring itself singly  
and undauntedly against all forces1     
human  and divine4    ,but1 as a        
necessary consequent of this spirit1 as 
its implied complement  in the balance  
of human nature1 we find1 as a distinct 
trait in the  lives of many of the      
manliest ancients1 an occasional        
prevalence of a  spirit of despondency1 
a recognition of the ultimate weakness  
of  man when brought by himself face to 
face with the wall of opposing          
circumstance and the resistless force of
 ,fate4 ,will is strong1 but the  powers
 outside the will are stronger4         

,manliness may not fail1 but man        
himself may be broken4 ,neither the     
teachings of natural religion1 nor  the 
doctrines of philosophy1 nor the support
 of a sound heart are  sufficient for   
man in the crisis of uttermost trial4   
,without something  beyond these1 higher
 than these1 without a conscious        
dependence on  ,omnipotence1 man must   
sink at last under the buffets of       
adverse fortune4  ,take the instances of
 these great men in ,plutarch1 and look 
at the end  of their lives4 ,how many of
 them are simple confessions of defeat6 
,themistocles sacrifices to the gods1   
drinks poison1 and dies4  ,demosthenes  
takes poison to save himself from       
falling into the hands of  his enemies4 
,cicero proposes to slay himself in the 
house of ,caesar1 and  is murdered only 
through want of resolution to kill      
himself4 ,brutus says  to the friend who
 urges him to fly1--,yes1 we must fly2  
yet not with  our feet1 but with our    
hands1 and falls upon his sword4 ,cato  

lies down  calmly at night1 reads ,plato
 on the ,soul1 and then kills himself2  
while1  after his death1 the people of  
,utica cry out with one voice that he is
  the only free1 the only undefeated    
man4 ,it may be said that even in       
suicide these men displayed the         
manliness of their tempers4 ,true1 but  
it  was the manliness of the deserter   
who runs the risk of being shot for  the
 sake of avoiding the risks and fatigues
 of service in war4,o    ,footnote ,o3  
,there is a striking passage in         
,seneca's treatise ,de  ,consolatione1  
which may1 perhaps1 be not unfairly     
regarded as the  expression of a        
sentiment common among the better       
heathens in regard to  death1--a        
sentiment of profound sadness4 ,he      
says1--,mors dolorum omnium  solutio est
 et finis1 ultra quam mala nostra non   
exeunt1 quae nos in  illam              
tranquillitatem1 in qua antequam        
nasceremur jacuimus1 reponit4  xix4 #d4 
,again1 we must be content rather to    

hint at than to develop the matter  for 
reflection and study that ,plutarch     
affords1 and unwillingly pass by1       
without even a glance at them1 large    
domains of thought that lie within  his 
pages4 ,we are glad to believe1 that1   
through the excellent edition  before   
us1 his ,lives will be more widely read 
than ever4 ,in this  country1 where the 
tendency of things is to the limited1   
but equal  development of each          
individual in social and political life1
 and hence  to the production of a      
uniform mediocrity of character and of  
action1  these biographies are of       
special value1 as exhibiting men        
developed  under circumstances widely   
contrasted with our own1 and who may    
serve  as standards by which to measure 
some of our own deficiencies or         
advantages4 ,here were the men who stood
 head and shoulders above the  others of
 their times2 we see them now1          
foreshortened in the tract of           
time1--not as they appeared to their    

contemporaries1 but in something  like  
their real proportions4 ,but the        
greatness of those proportions for  the 
most part remains unchanged4 ,how will  
it be with our great men two  thousand  
years hence8 ,will the numerous most    
distinguished men of  ,america appear as
 large then as they do now8 ,will the   
speeches of our  popular orators be read
 then8 ,will the most famous of our     
senators be  famous then8 ,will the     
ablest of our generals still be         
gathering laurels8    ,there is a story 
told by the learned ,andrew ,thevet1    
chief cosmographer  to ,henry ,,iii41   
,king of ,france and ,poland1 to the    
effect that one  ,triumpho of ,camarino 
did most fantastically imagine and      
persuade himself  that really and truly 
one day he was assembled in company with
 the  ,pope1 the ,emperor1 and the      
several ,kings and ,princes of          
,christendom1  7although all that while 
he was alone in his own chamber by      
himself17  where he entered upon1       

debated1 and resolved all the states'   
affairs of  ,christendom2 and he verily 
believed that he was the wisest man of  
them all2 and so he well might be1 of   
the company4 ,the fantastical           
imagination of this ,triumpho furnishes 
a good illustration of the  reality of  
companionship which one who possesses   
,plutarch may have in  his own chamber  
with the greatest and most interesting  
men of ancient  times4 ,if he be worthy1
 he may make the best of them his       
intimates4 ,he  may live with them as   
his counsellors and his friends4        
,whether he will  believe that he is the
 wisest man of them all is doubtful2    
but1  however this may be1 he will find 
himself in their company growing  wiser1
 stronger1 tenderer1 and truer4    ,it  
has been well said1 that ,plutarch's    
,lives is the book for those who  can   
nobly think and dare and do4      ,the  
,lost and ,found2 or ,life among the    
,poor4 ,by ,,samuel ,b4 ,,halliday4 ,new
  ,york3 ,blakeman  ,mason4 #ahei4      

,it has been asserted--most emphatically
 by those who have most fairly  tried   
it--that no house was ever built large  
enough for two families to  live in     
decently and comfortably4 ,yet in this  
present year of grace1  #ahei1 half a   
million of men and women--two-thirds of 
the population of  ,new ,york--are      
compelled1 by reason of their own       
poverty and the avarice  of certain     
capitalists1 to live in what are        
technically known as  tenement-houses1  
or1 more pertinently1 barracks1--hulks  
of brick1  put up by ,shylocks anxious  
for twenty per cent41 and lived in--,god
 knows  how--by from four to ninety-four
 families each4 ,of #aae1ihf families   
residing in the city of ,new ,york1 only
 #ae1iij are able to enjoy the  luxury  
of an independent home2 #ad1cfb other   
families live in comparative  comfort1  
two in a house2 #d1daf buildings contain
 three families each1  and yet do not   
come under the head of tenements2 and   
the #aa1ife  dwelling-houses which      

remain are the homes of #gb1chf         
families1 being  an average of seven    
families1 or thirty-five souls to each  
house6    ,but this is only an average4 
,in the eleventh ward1 #aac rear houses 
7houses built on the backs of deep lots1
 and separated only by a narrow  and    
necessarily dark and filthy court from  
the front houses1 which are  also       
barracks17 contain #a1fec families1 or  
nearly #ae families or #gj  souls each2 
#bd others contain #djg families1 being 
an average of #hj souls  to each2 and in
 another ward1 #gb such houses contain  
no less than #ai  families or #ie souls 
each6    ,this seems shocking4 ,but this
 is by no means the worst6 ,there are   
#ehj  tenement-houses in ,new ,york     
which contain1 by actual count1 #aj1icc 
families1 or about #he persons each2    
#aic others1 which accommodate #aaa     
persons each2 #ga others1 which cover   
#adj each2 and1 finally1 #bi--these     
must be the most profitable6--which have
 a total population of no less  than    

#e1ddi souls1 or #ahg to each house6    
,that part of ,fifth ,avenue which holds
 the chief part of the wealth and       
fashion of ,new ,york has an extent of  
about two miles1 or1 counting both      
sides of the street1 four miles4 ,these 
four miles of stately palaces  are      
occupied by four hundred families2 while
 a single block of  tenement-houses1 not
 two hundred yards out of ,fifth        
,avenue1 contains no  less than seven   
hundred families1 or #c1ejj souls6      
,seven such blocks1 ,mr4  ,halliday     
pertinently remarks1 would contain more 
people than the city of  ,hartford1     
which covers an area of several miles   
square4    ,such astounding facts as    
these the industrious ,buckle of the    
year #cjjj1  intent upon a history of   
our ,american civilization1 will quote  
to the  croakers of that day as samples 
of our nineteenth-century barbarism4    
,but1 some one may object1 if the houses
 were comfortably arranged1  and land   
was really scarce1 after all1 these     

people were not so badly  off4    ,the  
tenement-house1 which is now one of the 
institutions of ,new  ,york1 stands     
usually upon a lot #be by #ajj feet1 is 
from four to six  stories high1 and is  
so divided internally as to contain four
 families  on each floor1--each family  
eating1 drinking1 sleeping1 cooking1    
washing1 and fighting in a room eight   
feet by ten and a bed-room six  feet by 
ten2 unless1 indeed1--which very        
frequently happens1 says ,mr4           
,halliday1--the family renting these two
 rooms takes in another family  to      
board1 or sub-lets one room to one or   
even two other families6    ,but the    
modern improvements8    ,one of the     
largest and most recently built of the  
,new ,york barracks  has apartments for 
#abf famines4 ,it was built especially  
for this use4  ,it stands on a lot #ej  
by #bej feet1 is entered at the sides   
from alleys  eight feet wide1 and1 by   
reason of the vicinity of another       
barrack of  equal height1 the rooms are 

so darkened that on a cloudy day it is  
impossible to read or sew in them       
without artificial light4 ,it has not   
one room which can in any way be        
thoroughly ventilated4 ,the vaults and  
sewers which are to carry off the filth 
of the #abf families have grated        
openings in the alleys1 and door-ways in
 the cellars1 through which the  noisome
 and deadly miasmata penetrate and      
poison the dank air of the  house and   
the courts4 ,the water-closets for the  
whole vast establishment  are a range of
 stalls without doors1 and accessible   
not only from the  building1 but even   
from the street4 ,comfort is here out of
 the  question2 common decency has been 
rendered impossible2 and the horrible   
brutalities of the passenger-ship are   
day after day repeated1--but on a       
larger scale4 ,and yet this is a fair   
specimen4 ,and for such hideous and     
necessarily demoralizing                
habitations1--for two rooms1 stench1    
indecency1 and gloom1 the poor family   

pays--and the rich builder              
receives--thirty-five per cent1 annually
 on the cost of the  apartments6        
,when a city has half a million of      
inhabitants who must content  themselves
 with such quarters as these1 which1    
even the beasts of the  field would     
perish in1 does any man wonder that     
#ah1jjj women were  arrested in the last
 year8 that in the three months ending  
,january  #cast1 #ahei1 #ac1gfe arrests 
were made by the city police1 of which  
over  one-third were females1 one in six
 under twenty years of age1 and more    
than one-half under thirty8 that in     
#ahee there was one death in every      
#bf-a_/c of the population8 that in     
#aheh the five city dispensaries were   
called on to treat 7gratuitously7       
#fe1ddb infant patients8 that1 in #ahee1
  #a1ich infants were stillborn1 and    
#f1cij1 or #a in #ii of the population1 
did not live the first year out8 while1 
at the present time1 #bj1jjj  children  
roam the streets1 and never enter a     

schoolroom8 ,with such  homes1 is there 
cause for surprise that husbands murder 
their wives8  that mothers abuse their  
children1--and would kill them1 too1    
were they  not profitable little slaves1
 as ,mr4 ,halliday shows8 that men and  
women  live in drunken stupor upon the  
spoils of young children1--often not    
their own1--sent out to beg1 to steal1  
or do worse yet8 that even the  very    
fag-end of humanity1 the sentiment of   
honor among thieves1  perishes here8    
,for twenty years1 ,mr4 ,halliday has   
labored among these poor creatures1  as 
the agent or missionary of the ,american
 ,female ,guardian ,society  and ,home  
for the ,friendless1 an association of  
noble-minded and  unusually practical   
men and women4 ,if any of our readers   
fear lest the  fountain of benevolence  
may dry up within him1 we commend ,mr4  
,halliday's  book to his perusal4 ,he   
will find there some little stories     
which have a  pathos beyond tears2 some 
facts--happening1 mayhap1 within ten    

minutes'  walk of his own               
fireside--quite as strange as the       
strangest fiction of  ,mr4 ,cobb or ,mr4
 ,emerson ,bennett4 ,we have not space  
left for any account  of ,mr4           
,halliday's labors4 ,his ,society       
provides not only boys and girls1  but  
even men and women under certain        
circumstances1 with present  assistance 
and shelter1 and afterwards a home and  
work in the country1  at a distance from
 the temptations and miseries of the    
city4 ,it is  curious to read that ,mr4 
,halliday receives frequent orders from 
various  ,states--even the most distant 
,west--for a baby1 a boy1 a little      
girl4 ,it is good to know that in that  
way many bright young souls are  saved  
from the horrors of tenement life1 and  
placed in kind hands2  and it is        
touching to read1 that1 while many of   
these little ones are  remarkable for   
good looks and bright spirits1 all are  
reported as  singularly quiet1 sedate1  
and submissive4 ,we are glad to know    

that the  types of the paper published  
by the ,society are set up by the women 
who  have a refuge in its ,home2 and we 
were sorry to read of one boy1 who      
always ran away from everybody and every
 place1 being at last secured  in the   
,house of ,refuge1 where1 being now     
nearly eleven years old1 the  monster6  
he seems dejected1 and ,i have never    
seen him smile1 says ,mr4  ,halliday4   
,this boy--and a good many others who   
like the streets and the  free air      
better than the black-hole of a         
tenement--should go to sea4  ,the sea is
 an honorable trade1 7it used to be a   
profession17 and the  merchants of ,new 
,york could not do a wiser or a better  
thing than in  providing a school-ship  
where such lads could be taught the     
rudiments  of seamanship and navigation1
 or1 in default of that1 sending them as
  apprentices in their vessels4    ,we  
have two complaints to enter against    
,mr4 ,halliday3 first1 that he  has     
given his book a title which will deter 

most sensible people  from opening it2  
and1 second1 that in his valuable report
 on the  tenement-houses1 he does not   
give the names of those enterprising    
personages who make thirty-five per     
cent1 at the expense1 not only of  their
 poor tenants1 but of every tax-payer in
 ,new ,york4      ,the ,new ,american   
,cyclopaedia3 a ,popular ,dictionary of 
,general  ,knowledge4 ,edited by        
,,george ,,ripley and ,,charles ,a4     
,,dana4 ,vol4 ,,vi4  ,cough--,education4
 ,new ,york3 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 #hvo4  
pp4 #ggb4    ,more than one-third of the
 task assumed by the editors of this    
work is  now completed2 and the best    
testimony in its favor is1 that1        
although it  has been freely criticized1
 sometimes with closeness and severity1 
and  sometimes with studied harshness   
and evident malice1 its reputation has  
risen among candid and competent readers
 with the appearance of each  volume4   
,faults1 negative and positive1 may     
undoubtedly be discovered in  it2 but   

the same is true1 in a greater or less  
degree1 of every other  production of   
human labor2 and the eyes neither of    
malice nor of  hypercriticism have been 
able to find any sufficient reason why  
this  ,cyclopaedia should not be        
accepted as the beat popular dictionary 
of  general knowledge in the ,english   
language4 ,as the work advances1 the    
comprehensiveness of its plan1 the      
honesty of its purpose1 and the truly   
catholic and liberal spirit which       
animates it1 become more and more       
apparent2 and the names of the authors  
of the articles 7a list of which  is to 
be published1 we believe1 with the last 
volume7 sufficiently show  the          
determination of the editors to secure  
the cooperation of the first  talent in 
the country4 ,among the contributors to 
the present volume are  the ,rev4 ,dr4  
,bellows1 ,edmund ,blunt1 ,dion         
,bourcicault1 ,professor ,dana  of ,yale
 ,college1 ,edward ,everett1 ,professor 
,felton of ,cambridge1 ,parke  ,godwin1 

,richard ,hildreth1 ,george ,s4         
,hillard1 ,william ,henry ,hurlbut1 and 
,professors ,lowell and ,parsons of     
,cambridge4    ,of the articles1 we     
especially notice ,cranmer1 remarkable  
for the  candor and the coolness of     
perception with which the character of  
its  benevolent and gifted1 but         
inconsistent and vacillating subject1 is
  discussed3--,cromwell1 which gives a  
completer1 more authentic1 and  less    
prejudiced account of the eventful life 
of the great ,puritan leader  than is to
 be found in any other publication known
 to us3--,crusades1  a complete picture 
in little of those great fitful blazes  
of religious  enthusiasm by which it    
flickered into its final extinction2    
7for1  afterward1 only a semblance of it
 was made a stalking-horse by           
politicians27 and this article is quite 
a model of epitome3--,cuneiform         
,inscriptions1 in which the writer has  
presented concisely and clearly  the    
fruits of a careful examination of all  

the many theories that have  been       
broached with regard to these important 
and puzzling records of the  ancient    
world1 without revealing a preference1  
if he have one1 for  any2 a wise course1
 where1 in a case of such consequence1  
the views  of learned men are so        
conflicting1 but one not always easily  
followed3--,damascus ,blades1 a very    
interesting1 and1 for general  purposes1
 a very full description of the         
peculiarities of those famous1  and1 it 
appears1 not too much lauded            
weapons3--,deaf and ,dumb1 a very       
copious article of eleven pages1 rich in
 historical and biographical  detail1   
and giving full accounts of the various 
methods of instruction  adopted for this
 class of persons in all times and      
countries1 with a  large body of        
statistical information upon the        
subject2 an article of  great interest1 
but perhaps undue length3--,death1 which
 conveys much  information on a subject 
as to which the grossest and most       

deplorable  misconceptions prevail2 an  
article equally remarkable for its      
careful  and minute presentation of the 
phenomena of death and for the placid   
and  philosophical spirit in which it is
 written3--,deluge1 in which1 with  the 
ingenuity before shown in the treatment 
of similar subjects1 the  various       
accounts of that event1 and the facts   
and theories relating to  it1 are laid  
before the reader in a manner to which  
no one1 of whatever  creed1 can object1 
and a new and very ingenious and        
rational mode of  accounting for the    
phenomenon in question is               
proposed2--,dog1 the  fulness of which  
makes it acceptable to the lover of     
natural history1  the sporting man1 and 
the general reader3--and the last       
article1  ,education1 one of great      
value1 which describes the systems of   
instruction pursued in all ages and     
countries1 and which1 without  entering 
upon the support of any one of them1    
presents to the reader  such an         

impartial and detailed summary of the   
distinguishing features of  them all1   
that he can form an intelligent opinion 
upon them for himself4    ,the volume is
 so meritorious1 that we have not looked
 for faults2 but1  as we turned the     
leaves1 we noticed a few such as the    
following3--that  the river ,dove1 in   
,england1 should be mentioned as noted  
for its  picturesque scenery1 and yet   
its association with ,izaak ,walton and 
,charles ,cotton1 its chief glory1 be   
passed unnoticed2 and that ,discord     
should be defined as1 in music1 a       
combination of sounds inharmonious  and 
unpleasing to the ear2 whereas1         
although1 out of music1 discord  means a
 sound inharmonious and displeasing to  
the ear1 in music discord  is the golden
 bond of harmony1 the life and soul of  
expression1 that for  which the ear     
yearns with a yearning that is          
inexpressible1 and enjoys  with         
poignancy of pleasure4 ,we asked1 too1  
if ,thomas ,dowse should be  honored    

with a page and a half1 in which his    
fall from a tree1 his  rheumatic fever1 
and the head winds which prevented him  
from visiting  ,europe are              
chronicled1--while the eminent ,french  
painter1 ,couture1 whose  use of the    
pallet is marked by such striking       
originality1 that it has  produced an   
impression upon the works of a          
generation of painters1  has twelve     
lines6 ,and we can hardly be accused of 
hypercriticism1 in  directing the       
attention of the editors to a sentence  
like the following1  in the article     
,diptera1 p4 #dih1 #b;d col43--,though  
this order  contains the bloodthirsty   
mosquito1 the disgusting flesh-fly1 and 
many  insects depositing their eggs in  
the bodies of living animals1 it is a   
most useful one1 supplying food to      
insectivorous birds1 and themselves     
who8 what8 consuming decomposing animal 
and vegetable substances1  etc4 ,but    
these are instances of oversight in not 
very important matters1  or of          

inaccuracy of expression1 or of         
difference of judgment between  the     
editors and ourselves as to plan1 which 
even in our judgment do not  affect the 
value of the work in which they occur4  
,graver errors could be  found in almost
 every work of great scope that ever    
came from the  press4 ,we indicate them 
that we may afford some help toward a   
nearer  approximation to that perfection
 which is unattainable4      ,tom ,brown
 at ,oxford3 a ,sequel to ,school-,days 
at ,rugby4 ,by ,,thomas  ,,hughes1 etc4 
,part ,i4 ,boston3 ,ticknor  ,fields4   
#ahei4    ,many men write successful    
books2 but very few have the power of   
making  a book succeed by naturalness1  
simplicity1 and quiet strength1 as ,mr4 
,hughes found the secret of doing in his
 ,school-,days at ,rugby4 ,it is so     
easy to be eloquent1--scarce a modern   
,french novelist but has the gift  of it
 by the ream2 so easy to be             
philosophical1--one has only to begin  a
 few substantives with capitals2 and    

withal it is so hard to be genial  and  
agreeable4 ,since ,goldsmith's day1     
perhaps only ,irving and ,thackeray  had
 achieved it1 till ,mr4 ,hughes made    
himself the third4 ,it is no  easy thing
 to write a book that shall seem so     
easy1--to describe your  school-days    
with such instinctive rejection of the  
unessential1 that  whoever has been a   
boy feels as if he were reading the     
history of his  own1 and that your      
volume shall be no more exotic in       
,america than in  ,england4 ,yet this   
,mr4 ,hughes accomplished2 and it was in
 a great measure  due to the fact1 that 
beneath the charm of style the reader   
felt a real  basis of manliness and     
sincerity4    ,his second book1 ,the    
,scouring of the ,white ,horse1 was less
  successful1--in part from the narrower
 range of its interest1 and  still more1
 perhaps1 because it lacked the         
spontaneousness of the  ,school-,days4  
,in his first book there was no         
suggestion of authorship2  it seemed an 

inadvertence1 something which came of   
itself2--but the  second was made1 and  
the kind fairy that stood godmother to  
its elder  brother had been sent for and
 accordingly would not come4    ,in this
 first number of his new story ,mr4     
,hughes seems to have found his  good   
genius again1 or his good genius to have
 found him4 ,we meet our old  friend    
,tom ,brown once more1 and commit       
ourselves trustingly to the same  easy  
current of narrative and incident which 
was so delightful in  the story of his  
,rugby adventures4 ,we have no doubt the
 book will be  instructive as well as   
entertaining2 for we believe the author 
has had  some practical experience as   
teacher in ,the ,working-,men's         
,college1--an  excellent institution1 in
 which instruction is given to the poor 
after  work-hours1 and which1 beside    
,mr4 ,hughes1 has had another man of    
genius1  ,mr4 ,ruskin1 among its unpaid 
professors4 ,the work is to be published
  simultaneously in this country and in 

,england4      ,avolio2 a ,legend of the
 ,inland of ,cos1 with other ,poems1    
,lyrical1  ,miscellaneous1 and          
,dramatic4 ,by ,,paul ,h4 ,,hayne4      
,boston3 ,ticknor   ,fields4 #ahei4 pp4 
#bdd4    ,there is a great deal of real 
poetic feeling and expression in this   
volume1 and1 we think1 the hope of      
better things to come4 ,the author has  
not yet learned1 and we could not expect
 it1 that writers of verse tell  us all 
they can think of1 and writers of poetry
 only what they cannot  help telling4   
,the volume would have gained in quality
 by losing in  quantity1 but to give too
 much is the mistake of all young       
writers1 and  it is1 perhaps1 only by   
making it once for themselves that they 
can  learn to sift4 ,it is so hard at   
first1 when all the sand seems golden6  
,of old the ,muses were three1 each of  
whom must reject something from the     
poem1 but when verse-writing became     
easier and more traditional1 their      
number was raised to nine1 that they    

might be the harder to please4 ,and     
what a difficult jury they are6 and how 
long they stay out over their  verdict6 
,but1 after all1 it seems to us that    
,mr4 ,hayne has the root of the matter  
in him2 and we shall look to meet him   
again1 bringing a thinner1 yet  a fuller
 book4 ,the present volume shows        
thoughtfulness1 culture1  sensibility to
 natural beauty1 and great refinement of
 feeling4 ,we like  the first poem1     
which is also the longest1 best of all4 
,the subject is  an imaginative         
one1--and the choice of a subject is one
 great test of  genuine aptitude and    
ability4 ,in this poem1 and in some of  
the sonnets1  7which are good both in   
matter and construction17 ,mr4 ,hayne   
shows a  genuine vigor of expression and
 maturity of purpose4 ,there is a tone  
of  sadness in the volume1 as if the    
author were surrounded by an atmosphere 
uncongenial to letters4 ,the reader     
cannot fail to be struck with this1  and
 also with the oddity of two or three   

political sonnets1 in which ,mr4  ,hayne
 calls on his fellow-citizens to rally  
for the defence of slavery  in the name 
of freedom4 ,the book is dedicated1 in a
 very graceful  and cordial sonnet1 to  
,mr4 ,e4,p4 ,whipple2 and it is seldom  
that ,south  ,carolina sends so pleasant
 a message to ,massachusetts4 ,mr4      
,hayne need  only persevere in          
self-culture to be able to produce poems
 that shall  win for him a national     
reputation4      ,fairy ,dreams2 or     
,wanderings in ,elfland4 ,by ,,jane ,g4 
,,austin4 ,with  ,illustrations by      
,hammatt ,billings4 ,boston3 ,j4,e4     
,tilton  ,co4 #ahei4    ,this is a      
pretty book for children1 written with  
no little feeling and  fancy1 and in a  
graceful style4 ,the chimney-corner has 
been abolished  by the economical       
furnace-register1 and ,santa ,claus1 if 
he come at all1  must do it like an imp 
of the pit4 ,the volumes for children to
 pore  over1 as they bake by the stove1 
or stew over the black hole in the      

floor1 have also suffered an economic   
and practical change4 ,no more  fires1  
no more pretty fancies1 seems to have   
been the doom4 ,parents who  think1 as  
we do1 that children inhale practicality
 with our ,american  atmosphere1 and    
that a little encouragement of the      
imaginative side of  their nature is not
 amiss1 will be glad to drop ,mrs4      
,austin's book into  the proper         
stocking4 ,the stories are well told2   
that1 especially1 of  the ,gray ,cat is 
full of fanciful invention4 ,the book is
 very prettily  manufactured also1      
though we think publishers are carrying 
their  fondness for tinted paper too    
far4 ,salmon-color is too much2 the     
deepest  tint allowable is that of cream
 from a cow that has grazed among       
buttercups4      ,twelve ,years of a    
,soldier's ,life in ,india3 ,being      
,extracts from  the ,letters of the late
 ,major ,w4,s4,r4 ,,hodson1 ,b4,a41     
,trinity ,college1  ,cambridge2 ,first  
,bengal ,european ,fusileers1           

,commandant of ,hodson's  ,horse4       
,including a ,personal ,narrative of the
 ,siege of ,delhi and ,capture  of the  
,king and ,princes4 ,edited by his      
,brother1 the ,rev4 ,,george ,h4        
,,hodson1 ,m4,a41 ,senior ,fellow of    
,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,from the
  ,third and ,enlarged ,english         
,edition4 ,boston3 ,ticknor  ,fields4   
#ahfj4  #afmo4 pp4 #ddd4    ,this book  
should be widely read2 or we might      
better say1 this book will  be widely   
read1--so widely1 indeed1 that there is 
no need for us to  repeat its story     
here1 or to give an abstract of its     
contents4 ,hodson  was a man worth      
knowing1 and his letters show him to us 
as he was4  ,the special qualities of   
which ,englishmen are proud1 as the     
traits  of national character1 belonged 
in an uncommon degree to him4 ,he was   
eminently truthful1 staunch1 and brave2 
he had a clear eye1 a strong and  ready 
hand1 cool judgment1 stern decision1 and
 a tender heart4 ,he might  have borne  

the old ,douglas motto on his shield4   
,he was trained under as good teachers  
as a young man ever had4 ,at ,rugby1    
under ,dr4 ,arnold2 then1 for a year or 
two1 living among the ennobling         
associations of ,trinity ,college2 then 
at ,guernsey1 as a young soldier1  under
 ,sir ,william ,napier2 then in ,india1 
with ,james ,thomason1                  
,lieutenant-,governor of the ,northwest 
,provinces1 one of the best rulers  that
 ,india ever knew1 facile princeps of   
the whole ,indian service2  and finally 
passing from him to serve under ,sir    
,henry ,lawrence1 the  noblest soldier  
of ,india1 a man for whom common words  
of praise are  insufficient1--,hodson   
had an unrivalled set of masters1 and   
his life  proves him to have been worthy
 of them4    ,the ,british rule in      
,india is of such sort as to test the   
qualities of  its officers to the last  
point4 ,if they have anything good in   
them1 it  is sure to be brought into    
full action4 ,such responsibilities are 

thrown  on them as at once to stimulate 
them to exertion of their best powers4  
,men who in the ordinary fields of work 
might remain all their lives mere       
commonplace mediocrities1 under the     
discipline of ,indian service1 find  out
 and show their real value4 ,the ,indian
 mutiny exhibited how common  the rare  
qualities of foresight1 energy1 and     
enduring courage1 and the  still higher 
qualities of submission1 patience1 and  
faith1 had become  among those against  
whom the natives rose like a flood to   
overwhelm them  in destruction4 ,the    
little bands of ,english at ,cawnpore1  
at ,lucknow1 and  at many a less famous 
station1 stood like rocks against the   
dashing of  the storm4 ,the qualities   
that enabled them to win the admiration 
even  of their enemies1 and to call     
forth the respect and the sorrow of the 
world1 were the result1 not of sudden   
stress1 but of long and habitual        
training4 ,the reader of ,hodson's      
memoir will gain a knowledge of the     

processes by which such characters are  
developed4    ,the letters which make up
 the larger part of this book are       
written  with animation and simplicity1 
and are full of spirited accounts of    
adventure1 of rough and various service4
 ,the narrative which they afford  of   
the siege of ,delhi is of absorbing     
interest4 ,the picture of the  little   
army of besiegers1 wasted by continual  
disease and exposure to  the heats of an
 ,indian summer1--worn by the constant  
sallies and attacks  of a host of       
enemies trained in arms1--saddened by   
the receipt of evil  tidings from all   
quarters1--feeling that upon their final
 success rested  not only the hope of   
the continuance of ,british supremacy in
 ,india1 but  the very lives of those   
dear to them1--and1 worst of all1       
compelled  to submit to a succession of 
incompetent generals1 whose timidity and
  irresolution baffled the best designs 
of officers and the dashing  bravery of 
the troops2--the pictures which ,hodson 

gives of this little  army1 of its      
unflagging spirit and resolution1 and   
its valorous deeds1  are drawn with such
 truth as to bring the successive scenes
 vividly  before the imagination4       
,hodson himself was one of the best and 
most  useful of a noble corps of        
officers4 ,his modesty does not hide the
  grounds of the enthusiasm which was   
felt for him by his men1--of the        
admiration that he excited among his    
fellows4 ,the story of the capture  of  
the ,king and ,princes1 after the fall  
of ,delhi1 is one of the most           
interesting stories of daring ever told4
 ,you hold your breath as you  read it4 
,it was a gallant deed1 done in the most
 gallant way4    ,altogether1 the book  
is one of thoroughly manly tone and     
temper1--a book  to make those who read 
it manlier1 to put to shame the         
cowardice of easy  life1 to make men    
more honest1 more enduring1 more        
energetic1 by the  example which it sets
 before them4 ,hodson's life was short1 

but its  result will last4 ,there was no
 sham about it1 no meanness1--nothing   
but  what was large1 true1 and generous4
 ,as one turns the last page1 it is     
with no regret that such a man should   
have died in the fight1 for he  was a   
,christian soldier4 ,he was the preux   
chevalier of our times4 ,the  words in  
which ,sir ,ector mourns for his        
brother1 ,sir ,lancelot1 are fit  for   
his epitaph4 ',ah1 ,sir ,lancelot1' said
 hee1 'thou were head of  all christen  
knights6 ,an now ,i dare say1' said ,sir
 ,ector1 'that1 ,sir  ,lancelot1 there  
thou liest1 thou were never matched of  
none earthly  knight's hands2 and thou  
were the curtiest knight that ever bare 
shield2  and thou were the truest friend
 to thy lover that ever bestrood horse2 
and thou were the truest lover of a     
sinful man that ever loved woman2  and  
thou were the kindest man that ever     
strook with sword2 and thou were  the   
goodliest person that ever came among   
presse of knights2 and thou  were the   

meekest man and the gentlest that ever  
eate in hall among  ladies2 and thou    
were the sternest knight to thy mortall 
foe that ever  put speare in the rest4' 
,friends in ,council4 ,a ,series of     
,readings and ,discourse thereon4 ,a    
,new  ,series4 #b vols4 ,boston3 ,james 
,munroe  ,co4 #ahfj4    ,the best class 
of readers in ,england and ,america are 
sure to give a  cordial welcome to a new
 book by ,mr4 ,helps4 ,nothing better   
need be said  of this second series of  
,friends in ,council than that it is a  
worthy  sequel of the first4 ,it is the 
work of a man of large experience and   
wide culture1--of one who is at the same
 time a student and a man of  the world1
 versed in history and practically      
acquainted with affairs4  ,refined      
thoughtfulness and common sense combine 
to give value to all  that ,mr4 ,helps  
writes1 and he is master of a style at  
once manly and  elegant1 quiet and      
strong4 ,two famous lines1 which occur  
in a passage  quoted in these volumes1  

serve well to characterize their        
merits3--      ,though deep1 yet        
clear1--though gentle1 yet not dull1--  
,strong without rage1--without          
o'erflowing1 full4    ,such books have a
 special worth in these days of hasty   
writing4 ,they  admit one to the        
companionship of thoughtful1            
well-mannered gentlemen4  ,one feels    
that he has been in good company1 after 
reading them2 and1  whatever he may have
 gained of wisdom from the friends he   
has met in  council1 he is also improved
 in temper and in manners by their      
society4    ,the conversations which    
form the setting of the essays in these 
volumes  enable ,mr4 ,helps to present  
in an easy and effective way various    
sides  of the important questions that  
he discusses4 ,completeness of statement
  is rarely to be obtained upon any of  
the deeper topics of life4 ,if the      
golden side be displayed1 the silver    
side is likely to be hidden4 ,the  same 
man holds various1 though not           

irreconcilable opinions upon the same   
subject1 according to the different     
lights in which he views it or the      
different phases it presents4 ,the most 
honest man must sometimes  appear       
inconsistent for the sake of truth2 and 
the clearer a man's own  convictions1   
the wider will be his charity for those 
of others4 ,mr4  ,helps exhibits        
admirably this natural and necessary    
diversity of  thought1 existing even    
where there is a coincidence of         
principle and of  aim4    ,the essays   
upon ,war and ,despotism are1 perhaps1  
the ablest in these  volumes1 and       
deserve to be seriously viewed in the   
light of passing  events4 ,they are     
distinguished by freedom from           
exaggeration and by their  moderation of
 statement4 ,as in so many of the       
productions of the best  ,english       
writers at the present day1 something of
 despondency in regard  to the condition
 of the world is to be traced in them4  
,and truly1 to one  who looks at the    

state of ,europe and of our own country1
 there is more  need for faith than     
ground of hope4    ,but at this         
,christmas season1 this season of peace 
and good-will1 let  all our readers read
 the essay on ,pleasantness4 ,and if    
they will but  take its teachings to    
heart1 we can wish them1 with the       
certainty of the  fulfilment of our     
wish1 a merry ,christmas and a happy    
,new ,year4      ,the ,marvellous       
,adventures and ,rare ,conceits of      
,master ,tyll ,owlglass4  ,newly        
collected1 etc41 by ,,kenneth ,r4,h4    
,,mackenzie4 ,with ,illustrations by    
,crowquill4 ,boston3 ,ticknor  ,fields4 
#ahfj4 pp4 xxxix41 #bee4    ,this is a  
very beautiful edition of a very amusing
 book4 ,the preface and  notes of ,mr4  
,mackenzie will commend it to scholars1 
while the stories  themselves will      
divert both young and old4 ,a book of   
this kind1 which  can keep life in      
itself for more than three hundred      
years1 must have  some real humor and   

force at bottom4 ,it is as good a       
specimen of  mediaeval fun as could     
anywhere be found4 ,with nothing like   
the satiric  humor of the ,epistolae    
,obscurorum ,virorum1 it appeals to a   
much larger  circle of readers4 ,we are 
very glad to meet it again in so        
handsome a  dress1 and with such really 
clever illustrations4 ,it is just the   
book  for a ,christmas gift4            
,reynard the ,fox1 after the ,german    
,version of ,goethe4 ,by ,,thomas       
,,james ,,arnold1 ,esq4 ,with           
,illustrations from the ,designs of     
,wilhelm von  ,kaulbach4 ,new ,york3 ,d4
 ,appleton  ,co41 #cdf and #cdh         
,broadway4 #ahfj4 pp4  #bbf4    ,it is  
very well that ,mr4 ,arnold should tell 
us on the title-page that  his version  
is after that of ,goethe4 ,nothing could
 be truer1--and it  is a very long way  
after1 too4 ,by substituting the slow   
and verbose  pentameter of what is      
called the classic school of ,english   
poetry for  the remarkably forth-right  

and simple eight-syllabic measure of the
  original1 the translator has contrived
 to lose almost wholly that homely      
flavor of the old poet1 which ,goethe   
carefully preserved4 ,we do not mean  to
 say that this is altogether a bad      
version1 as such things go2 on the      
contrary1 it has a great deal of spirit1
 as it could hardly fail to  have1      
unless it belied its model              
altogether2--but it is as far as        
possible from giving any notion of the  
characteristic qualities of  ,reinaert  
de ,vos4 ,if ,mr4 ,arnold must change   
the measure1 ,chaucer's  ,nonnes        
,preestes ,tale would have been a safer 
guide to follow4    ,the book1 in spite 
of its ,american title-page1 is wholly  
of ,english  manufacture4 ,it is a very 
handsome volume1 and ,kaulbach's        
illustrations  are copied with tolerable
 success1 though with inevitable        
inferiority to  the ,german originals4  
,kaulbach is hardly so happy an         
animal-painter as  ,grandville1 but he  

has at least given his subjects in this 
case a more  human expression than in   
his monstrous caricatures of            
,shakspeare4          ,,recent          
,,american ,,publications    ,,received 
,,by ,,the ,,editors ,,of ,,the         
,,atlantic ,,monthly4      ,a ,complete 
and ,cheap ,edition of the ,entire      
,writings of ,charles ,dickens4  ,to be 
completed in #bh ,weekly ,volumes4      
,philadelphia4 ,t4,b4 ,peterson         
,brothers4 #hvo4 pamphlet4 ,per vol41   
#be cts4    ,mount ,vernon and its      
,associations1 ,historical1             
,biographical1 and  ,pictorial4 ,by     
,benson ,j4 ,lossing4 ,illustrated by   
,numerous ,engravings1  chiefly from    
,original ,drawings by the ,author1     
engraved by ,lossing   ,barritt4 ,new   
,york4 ,w4,a4 ,townsend  ,co4 #dto4 pp4 
#cgf4 #c4ej4    ,proceedings and        
,debates of the ,third ,national        
,quarantine and ,sanitary  ,convention1 
held in the ,city of ,new ,york1 ,april 
#bg-cj1 #ahei4 ,new ,york4  ,printed for

 the ,board of ,councilmen4 #hvo4 pp4   
#gbh4    ,a ,history of the ,four       
,georges1 ,kings of ,england2 containing
 ,personal  ,incidents of their ,lives1 
,public ,events of their ,reigns1 and   
,biographical ,notices of their ,chief  
,ministers1 ,courtiers1 and ,favorites4 
,by ,samuel ,m4 ,smucker1 ,,ll4,d41     
,author of ,court and ,reign of         
,catherine  ,,ii4 etc41 etc4 ,new ,york4
 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4 xii41   
#ded4 #a4be4    ,goethe's               
,correspondence with a ,child4 ,boston4 
,ticknor  ,fields4 #abmo4  pp4 #ejd4    
#a4be4    ,the ,old ,stone ,mansion4 ,by
 ,charles ,j4 ,peterson1 ,author of     
,kate  ,aylesford1 etc4 ,philadelphia4  
,t4,b4 ,peterson  ,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 
#cfg4  #a4be4    ,fisher's ,river       
7,north ,carolina7 ,scenes and          
,characters4 ,by ,skitt4  ,illustrated  
by ,john ,mc,lenan4 ,new ,york4 ,harper 
,brothers4 #afmo4 pp4  viii41 #bfi4     
#a4jj4    ,twelve ,years of a ,soldier's
 ,life in ,india3 being ,extracts from  

the  ,letters of the late ,major        
,w4,s4,r4 ,hodson1 ,b4,a41 ,trinity     
,college1  ,cambridge2 ,first ,bengal   
,european ,fusileers1 ,commandant of    
,hodson's  ,horse4 ,including a         
,personal ,narrative of the ,siege of   
,delhi and ,capture  of the ,king and   
,princes4 ,edited by his ,brother1 the  
,rev4 ,george ,h4  ,hodson1 ,m4,a41     
,senior ,fellow of ,trinity ,college1   
,cambridge4 ,from the  ,third and       
,enlarged ,english ,edition4 ,boston4   
,ticknor  ,fields4 #afmo4 pp4  #ddd4    
#a4jj4    ,religious and ,moral         
,sentences culled from the ,works of    
,shakspeare1  compared with ,sacred     
,passages drawn from ,holy ,writ4 ,from 
the ,english  ,edition1 with an         
,introduction by ,frederic ,d4          
,huntington4 ,boston and  ,cambridge4   
,james ,munroe  ,co4 #afmo4 pp4 #bbf4   
#ge cts4    ,avolio2 a ,legend of the   
,island of ,cos4 ,with ,poems1 ,lyrical1
  ,miscellaneous1 and ,dramatic4 ,by    
,paul ,h4 ,hayne4 ,boston4 ,ticknor     

,fields4  #afmo4 pp4 xii41 #bdd4 #ge    
cts4    ,wild ,southern ,scenes2 a ,tale
 of ,disunion and ,border ,war4 ,by     
,j4,b4 ,jones1  ,author of ,wild        
,western ,scenes1 etc4 ,philadelphia    
,t4,b4 ,peterson  ,co4  #abmo4 pp4 #ejb4
 #a4be4    ,mary ,staunton2 or1 ,the    
,pupils of ,marvel ,hall4 ,by the       
,author of  ,portraits of my ,married   
,friends4 ,new ,york4 ,d4 ,appleton     
,co4 #abmo4 pp4  #cih4 #a4be4           
,reminiscences of ,rufus ,choate1 the   
,great ,american ,advocate4 ,by ,edward 
,g4  ,parker4 ,new ,york4 ,mason        
,brothers4 #afmo4 pp4 #ebb4 #a4ej4      
,the ,art of ,elocution1 exemplified in 
a ,simplified ,course of ,exercises4    
,by ,henry ,n4 ,day1 ,author of         
,elements of the ,art of ,rhetoric4     
,revised  ,edition4 ,cincinnati4 ,moore1
 ,wilstach1 ,keys1  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4     
#chd4 #a4be4    ,true ,womanhood2 a     
,tale4 ,by ,john ,neal4 ,boston4        
,ticknor  ,fields4 #abmo4  pp4 #dhg4    
#a4be4    ,the ,queen of ,hearts4 ,by   

,wilkie ,collins1 ,author of ,the ,dead 
,secret1  ,after ,dark1 etc4 ,new ,york4
 ,harper  ,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 #dgb4   
#a4jj4    ,home and ,abroad2 a          
,sketch-,book of ,life1 ,scenery1 and   
,men4 ,by ,bayard  ,taylor4 ,new ,york4 
,g4,p4 ,putnam4 #abmo4 pp4 vi41 #ejj4   
#a4be4    ,the ,virginians2 a ,tale of  
the ,last ,century4 ,by ,w4,m4          
,thackeray4 ,with  ,illustrations by the
 ,author4 ,new ,york4 ,harper           
,brothers4 #hvo4 pp4 iv41  #daa4 #b4jj4 
,the ,prairie ,traveller4 ,a ,handbook  
for ,overland ,expeditions--,with ,maps1
  ,illustrations1 and ,itineraries of   
the ,principal ,routes between the      
,mississippi and the ,pacific4 ,by      
,randolph ,b4 ,marcy1 ,captain ,u4,s4,a4
  ,published by ,authority of the ,war  
,department4 ,new ,york4 ,harper        
,brothers4 #afmo4 pp4 vi41 #cdj4 #a4jj4 
,book of ,plays for ,home ,amusement4   
,being a ,collection of ,original1      
,altered1 and ,selected ,tragedies1     
,plays1 ,dramas1 ,comedies1 ,farces1    

,burlesques1 ,charades1 ,lectures1 etc41
 carefully arranged and specially       
adapted for ,private ,representation1   
with ,full ,directions for              
,performance4 ,by ,silas ,s4 ,steele1   
,dramatist4 ,philadelphia4 ,george ,g4  
,evans4 #abmo4 pp4 #ceb4 #a4jj4    ,the 
,history of ,south ,carolina1 from its  
first ,european ,discovery to  its      
,erection into a ,republic2 with a      
,supplementary ,book1 bringing the      
,narrative down to the ,present ,time4  
,by ,william ,gilmore ,simms1 ,author of
  ,the ,yemassee1 ,cassique of ,kinwah1 
etc4 ,new and ,revised ,edition4 ,new   
,york4 ,redfield4 #abmo4 pp4 viii41     
#dcg4 #a4be4    ,sermons4 ,by ,richard  
,fuller1 ,d4,d41 of ,baltimore4 ,new    
,york4 ,sheldon  ,co4  #abmo4 pp4 #chd4 
#a4jj4    ,poems4 ,by ,james ,clarence  
,mangan4 ,with a ,biographical          
,introduction by  ,john ,mitchel4 ,new  
,york4 ,p4,m4 ,haverty4 #abmo4 pp4 #dfj4
 #a4jj4    ,lionel ,lincoln2 or1 ,the   
,leaguer of ,boston4 ,by ,j4 ,fenimore  

,cooper4  ,illustrated from ,drawings by
 ,f4,o4,c4 ,darley4 ,new ,york4 ,w4,a4  
,townsend   ,co4 #abmo4 pp4 #dfd4 #a4ej4
    ,the ,young ,men of ,america4 ,a    
,prize ,essay4 ,by ,samuel ,batchelder1 
,jr4  7,reprinted from the ,young ,men's
 ,magazine47 ,new ,york4 ,sheldon  ,co4 
#afmo4  pp4 #gj4 #ej cts4    ,saul2 a   
,drama1 in ,three ,parts4 ,second       
,edition1 carefully revised and         
amended4 ,montreal4 ,john ,lovell4      
#abmo4 pp4 #cbh4    ,poems4 ,by ,charles
 ,henry ,st4 ,john4 ,boston4 ,a4        
,williams  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4  #add4 #ge   
cts4    ,the ,life and ,correspondence  
of ,thomas ,arnold1 ,d4,d41 late        
,head-,master of  ,rugby ,school1 and   
,regius ,professor of ,modern ,history  
in the ,university  of ,oxford4 ,by     
,arthur ,penrhyn ,stanley1 ,m4,a41      
,regius ,professor of  ,ecclesiastical  
,history in the ,university of ,oxford4 
,in ,two ,volumes4  ,boston4 ,ticknor   
,fields4 #abmo4 pp4 #cgh1 #djj4 #b4jj4  
,friends in ,council2 a ,series of      

,readings and ,discourse thereon4 ,a    
,new  ,series4 ,in ,two ,volumes4       
,reprinted from the ,english ,edition4  
,boston and  ,cambridge4 ,james ,munroe 
,co4 #afmo4 pp4 iv41 #bdb1 iv41 #bhj4   
#a4ej4    ,sir ,rohan's ,ghost4 ,a      
,romance4 ,boston4 ,j4,e4 ,tilton  ,co4 
#abmo4 pp4 #ceb4  #a4jj4    ,stories of 
,rainbow and ,lucky4 ,by ,jacob ,abbott4
 ,new ,york4 ,harper   ,brothers4 #afmo4
 pp4 #ahg4 #ej cts4    ,preachers and   
,preaching4 ,by ,rev4 ,nicholas ,murray1
 ,d4,d41 ,author of  ,romanism at ,home1
 ,men and ,things in ,europe1 etc4 ,new 
,york4 ,harper   ,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4  
#cjc4 #ge cts4