,t ,h ,e ,k ,n ,i ,c ,k ,e ,r ,b ,o ,c ,k ,e ,r4 ,,vol4 ,,xxiii4 ,,march1 #ahdd4 ,,no4 #c4 ,,what ,,is ,,transcendentalism8 ,,by ,a ,,thinking ,,man4 ,this question has often been asked but seldom answered satisfactorily4 ,newspaper editors and correspondents have frequently attempted a practical elucidation of the mystery1 by quoting from their own brains the rarest piece of absurdity which they could imagine1 and entitling it ',transcendentalism4' ,one good hit of this kind may be well enough1 by way of satire upon the fogginess of certain writers who deem themselves1 and are deemed by the multitude1 transcendental par excellence4 ,,coleridge however thought that to parody stupidity by way of ridiculing it1 only proves the parodist more stupid than the original blockhead4 ,still1 one such attempt may be tolerated2 but when imitators of the parodist arise and fill almost every newspaper in the country with similar witticisms1 such efforts become 'flat and unprofitable2' for nothing is easier than to put words together in a form which conveys no meaning to the reader4 ,it is a cheap kind of wit1 asinine rather than attic1 and can be exercised as well by those who know nothing of the subject as by those best acquainted with it4 ,indeed1 it is greatly to be doubted whether one in a hundred of these witty persons know any thing of the matter2 for if they possess sense enough to make them worthy of being ranked among reasonable men1 it could be proved to them in five minutes that they are themselves transcendentalists1 as all thinking men find themselves compelled to be1 whether they know themselves by that name or not4 ',poh6' said a friend1 looking over my shoulder2 'you can't prove me a transcendentalist2 ,i defy you to do it2 ,i despise the name4' ,why so8 ,let us know what it is that you despise4 ,is it the sound of the word8 ,is it not sufficiently euphonious8 ,does it not strike your ear as smoothly as ,puseyite1 or ,presbyterian8 ',nonsense6' said he2 'you don't suppose ,i am to be misled by the sound of a word2 it is the meaning to which ,i object4 ,i despise transcendentalism2 therefore ,i do not wish to be called transcendentalist4' ,very well2 but we shall never 'get ahead' unless you define transcendentalism according to your understanding of the word4 ',that request is easily made1 but not easily complied with4 ,have you ,carlyle or ,emerson at hand8' ,here ,i took down a volume of each1 and read various sentences and paragraphs therefrom4 ,these passages are full of transcendental ideas2 do you object to them8 ',no1' said my friend2 'for aught ,i can perceive1 they might have been uttered by any one who was not a transcendentalist4 ,let me see the books4' ,after turning over the leaves a long while1 he selected and read aloud a passage from ,carlyle1 one of his very worst2 abrupt1 nervous1 jerking1 and at the same time windy1 long-drawn-out1 and parenthetical2 a period filling a whole page4 ',there1' said he1 stopping to take breath1 'if that is not enough to disgust one with transcendentalism1 then ,i know nothing of the matter4' ,a very sensible conclusion4 ,bless your soul1 that is ,carlyle-ism1 not transcendentalism4 ,you said but now that you were not to be misled by the sound of a word2 and yet you are condemning a principle on account of the bad style of a writer who is supposed to be governed by it4 ,is that right8 ,would you condemn ,christianity because of the weaknesses and sins of one of its professors8 ',of course not1' replied he2 ',i wish to be fair4 ,i cannot express my idea of the meaning of transcendentalism without tedious circumlocution1 and ,i begin to despair of proving my position by quotations4 ,it is not on any particular passage that ,i rest my case4 ,you have read this work1 and will understand me when ,i say that it is to its general intent and spirit that ,i object1 and not merely to the author's style4' ,i think ,i comprehend you4 ,you disregard the mere form in which the author expresses his thoughts2 you go beyond and behind that1 and judge him by the thoughts themselves2 not by one or by two1 but by the sum and substance of the whole4 ,you strip off the husk to arrive at the kernel1 and judge of the goodness of the crop by the latter1 not the former4 ',just so1' said he2 'that's my meaning precisely4 ,i always strive to follow that rule in every thing4 ',appearances1' you know1 'are deceitful4'' ,that is to say1 you go beyond or transcend appearances and circumstances1 and divine the true meaning1 the substance1 the spirit of that on which you are about to decide4 ,that is practical transcendentalism1 and you are a transcendentalist4 ',i wish you would suggest another name for it1' said my friend1 as he went out of the door2 ',i detest the sound of that word4' ,i wish we could1 said ,i1 but he was out of hearing2 ,i wish we could1 for it is an abominably long word to write4 ',i wish we could1' mutters the printer1 'for it is an awfully long word to print4' ',i wish we could1' is the sober second thought of all2 for people will always condemn transcendentalism until it is called by another name4 ,such is the force of prejudice4 ',i have been thinking over our conversation of yesterday1' said my friend next morning1 on entering my room4 ',oh1 you have been writing it down1 have you8 ,let me see it4' ,after looking over the sketch1 he remarked3 ',you seem to have me fast enough1 but after all ,i believe you conquered merely by playing upon a word1 and in proving me to be a transcendentalist you only proved me to be a reasonable being2 one capable of perceiving1 remembering1 combining1 comparing and deducing2 one who1 amid the apparent contradictions with which we are surrounded1 strives to reconcile appearances and discover principles2 and from the outward and visible learn the inward and spiritual2 in fine1 arrive at truth4 ,now every reasonable man claims to be all that ,i have avowed myself to be4 ,if this is to be a transcendentalist1 then ,i am one4 ,when ,i read that ,i must hate my father and mother before ,i can be a disciple of ,,jesus1 ,i do not understand that passage literally2 ,i call to mind other precepts of ,,christ2 ,i remember the peculiarities of eastern style2 ,i compare these facts together1 and deduce therefrom a very different principle from that apparently embodied in the passage quoted4 ,when ,i see the ,isle of ,shoals doubled1 and the duplicates reversed in the air above the old familiar rocks1 ,i do not1 as ,i stand on ,rye-beach1 observing the interesting phenomenon1 believe there are two sets of islands there2 but recalling facts which ,i have learned1 and philosophical truths which ,i have acquired and verified1 ,i attribute the appearance to its true cause1 refraction of light4 ,when in passing from room to room in the dark1 with my arms outspread1 ,i run my nose against the edge of a door1 ,i do not therefrom conclude that my nose is longer than my arms6 ,when ,i see a man stumble in the street1 ,i do not at once set him down as a drunkard1 not considering that to be sufficient evidence1 although some of our ,washingtonian friends do2 but ,i compare that fact with the state of the streets1 and what ,i know of his previous life1 and judge accordingly4' ,well1 said ,i1 you are an excellent transcendentalist2 one after my own heart1 in morals1 philosophy and religion4 ,to be a transcendentalist is after all to be only a sensible1 unprejudiced man1 open to conviction at all times1 and spiritually-minded4 ,i can well understand that1 when you condemn transcendentalism1 you object not to the principle1 but to the practice1 in the superlative degree1 of that principle4 ,transcendentalism is but an abstract mode of considering morals1 philosophy1 religion2 an application of the principles of abstract science to these subjects4 ,all metaphysicians are transcendentalists1 and every one is transcendental so far as he is metaphysical4 ,there are as many different modifications of the one as of the other1 and probably no two transcendentalists ever thought alike2 their creed is not yet written4 ,you certainly do not condemn spiritualism1 but ultra spiritualism you seem to abhor4 ',precisely so4 ,i did not yesterday give you the meaning which ,i attached to transcendentalism2 in truth1 practically you meant one thing by that term1 and ,i another1 though ,i now see that in principle they are the same4 ,the spiritualism which ,i like1 looks through nature and revelation up to ,,god2 that which ,i abhor1 condescends hardly to make use of nature at all1 but demands direct converse with ,,god1 and declares that it enjoys it too2 a sort of continual and immediate revelation4 ,itself is its own authority4 ,the ultra-spiritualist contains within himself the fulness of the ,godhead4 ,he allows of nothing external1 unless it be brother spirits like himself4 ,he has abolished nature1 and to the uninitiated seems to have abolished ,,god himself1 although ,i am charitable enough to believe that he has full faith in ,,god1 after his own fashion4 ,he claims to be inspired2 to be equal to ,,jesus2 nay superior2 for one of them lately said3 ',greater is the container than the contained1 therefore ,i am greater than ,,god1 for ,i contain ,god6' ,the ultra-spiritualist believes only by and through and in his own inward light4 ,let him take care1 as ,carlyle says1 that his own contemptible tar-link does not1 by being held too near his eyes1 extinguish to him the sun of the universe4 ,now the true spiritualist makes use not only of his own moral and religious instincts1 but all that can be gathered by the senses from external nature1 and all that can be acquired by untiring consultation with the sages who have gone before him2 and from these materials in the alembic of his mind1 with such power as ,,god has given him1 he distils truth4' ,truth6 ,ah1 that is the very point in question4 ',what is truth8' has been the ardent inquiry of every honest mind from the days of ,adam to the present time1 and the sneering demand of many an unbeliever4 ,eve sought it when she tasted the forbidden fruit4 ,but since then1 thank ,,god6 no prohibition has been uttered against the search after truth1 and mankind have improved their liberty with great industry for six thousand years2 and what is the result8 ,is truth discovered8 ,how much8 and how much of falsehood is mixed up with what is known to be true8 ,these questions are constantly suggesting themselves to thinkers1 and to answer them is the labor of their lives4 ,let them have free scope1 ultra-spiritualists and all4 ,even these latter go through the same operation which you have just claimed to be peculiar to the true spiritualist4 ,all do1 whether they will or not1 make use of observation1 learning1 and the inward light4 ,some arrive at one result1 and some at another1 because the elements differ in each4 ,if any two could be found whose external observations1 learning1 intellect and inward light or instincts were precisely equal in volume and proportion1 can it be doubted that these two would arrive at precisely similar results8 ,but they are not equal2 and so one comes to believe in external authority1 and the other refers every thing to a standard which he thinks he finds within himself4 ,the latter is deemed by the public to be a representative of pure transcendentalism1 and he is condemned accordingly as self-sufficient4 ,and privately1 between you and me1 my good friend1 ,i cannot help thinking it rather ungrateful in him1 after becoming so deeply indebted to his senses1 to books1 and the ,bible for his spiritual education1 to turn round and despise these means of advancement1 and declare that they are mere non-essential circumstances1 and that a man may reach the same end by studying himself in himself4 ,it is as if a man should use a ladder to reach a lofty crag1 and then kick it over contemptuously1 and aver that he could just as well have flown up1 and ask the crowd below to break up that miserable ladder and try their wings4 ,doubtless they have wings1 if they only knew it4 ,but seriously1 ,i am not inclined to join in the hue-and-cry against even the ultra-transcendentalist4 ,he has truth mixed up with what ,i esteem objectionable1 and some truth to which others have not attained2 and as ,i deem the eclectic the only true mode of philosophy1 ,i am willing to take truth where ,i can find it1 whether in ,china or ,boston1 in ,confucius or ,emerson1 ,kant or ,cousin1 the ,bible or the ,koran2 and though ,i have more reverence for one of these sources than all others1 it is only because ,i think ,i find there the greatest amount of truth1 sanctioned by the highest authority4 ,to put the belief in the ,bible on any other ground1 is to base it on educational prejudice and superstition2 on which principle the ,koran should be as binding on the ,mahometan as the ,bible on us4 ,do we not all finally resort to ourselves in order to decide a difficult question in morals or religion8 and is not the decision more or less correct accordingly as we refer it to the better or to the baser portion of our nature8 ',most certainly6 ,i have often said ,i would not and could not believe in the ,bible1 if it commanded us to worship ,sin and leave our passions unbridled4' ,well said6 ,and in so saying1 you acknowledge yourself to be governed by the same principle which actuates the ultra-transcendentalist2 the moral sense or instinct1 similar to the 'inward light' of the ,friends4 ,after all1 ,i apprehend the true point in which men differ is1 whether this moral sense is really an instinct1 or whether it is evolved and put in operation by education4 ,how much is due to nature8 is the true question4 ,but to solve it1 is important only theoretically1 for practically we all act alike2 we cannot1 if we would1 separate the educational from the natural moral sense2 we cannot uneducate it1 and then judge by it1 freed from all circumstantial bias4 ,but whether more or less indebted either to nature or education1 it is to this moral and religious sense that the ultra-transcendentalist refers every question1 and passes judgment according to its verdict4 ,it is sometimes rather vaguely called the ',pure ,reason2' but that is only a term1 hardly a 'mouthful of articulate wind4' ',you and ,i shall agree very well together1 ,i see1' replied my friend4 ',if we dispute at all1 it will be foolishly about the meaning of a word4 ,all the world have been doing that ever since the confusion of tongues at ,babel4 ,that great event prophetically shadowed forth the future2 for now1 as then1 the confusion and disputation is greatest when we are striving most earnestly to reach heaven by our earth-built contrivances4 ,we may draw a lesson therefrom2 not to be too aspiring for our means2 for our inevitable failure only makes us the more ridiculous1 the higher the position we seem to have attained4' ,very true2 but we should never arrive at the height of wisdom1 which consists in knowing our own ignorance and weakness1 unless we made full trial of our powers4 ,the fall of which you speak should give us a modesty not to be otherwise obtained1 and make us very careful how we ridicule others1 seeing how open to it we ourselves are4 ,every man may build his tower of ,babel1 and if he make a right use of his failure1 may in the end be nearer heaven than if he had never made the attempt4 ,ridicule is no argument1 and should only be used by way of a jeu d'esprit1 and never on solemn subjects4 ,it is very hard1 ,i know1 for one who has mirthfulness strongly developed1 to restrain himself on all occasions2 and what is solemn to one may not be so to another2 hence we should be very charitable to all2 alike to the bigots1 the dreamers1 and the laughers2 to the builders of theoretic ,babel-towers1 and the grovellers on the low earth4 ',there is one kind of transcendentalism1' replied my friend1 'which you have not noticed particularly1 which consists in believing in nothing except the spiritual existence of the unbeliever himself1 and hardly that4 ,it believes not in the external world at all4' ,if you are on that ground1 ,i have done4 ,to talk of that1 would be wasting our time on nothing2 or 'our eternity1' for with that sect time is altogether a delusion4 ,it may be true1 but the believer1 even in the act of declaring his faith1 must practically prove himself persuaded of the falsity of his doctrine4 ',you wanted a short name for transcendentalism2 if a long one will make this modification of it more odious1 let us call it ,incomprehensibilityosityivityalityation mentnessism4' ,my friend said this with a face nearly as long as the word1 made a low bow1 and departed4 ,i took my pen and reduced our conversation to writing4 ,i hope by this time the reader has a very lucid answer to give to the question1 ,what is ,transcendentalism8 ,it will be a miracle if he can see one inch farther into the fog-bank than before4 ,i should like to take back the boast made in the beginning of this paper1 that ,i could prove in five minutes any reasonable man a transcendentalist4 ,my friend disconcerted my plan of battle1 by taking command of the enemy's forces1 instead of allowing me to marshal them on paper to suit myself2 and so a mere friendly joust ensued1 instead of the utter demolition of my adversary1 which ,i had intended4 ,and this little circumstance has led me to think1 what a miserable business controversialists would make of it1 if each had his opponent looking over his shoulder1 pointing out flaws in his arguments1 suggesting untimely truths1 and putting every possible impediment in the path of his logic2 and if1 moreover1 he were obliged to mend every flaw1 prove every such truth a falsehood1 and remove every impediment before he could advance a step4 ,were such the case1 how much less would there be of fine-spun theory and specious argument2 how much more of practical truth6 ,always supposing the logical combatants did not lose their patience and resort to material means and knock-down arguments2 of which1 judging by the spirit sometimes manifested in theological controversies1 there would really seem to be some danger4 ,oh6 it is a very easy thing to sit in one's study and demolish an opponent1 who after all is generally no opponent at all1 but only a man of straw1 dressed up for the occasion with a few purposely-tattered shreds of the adversary's cast-off garments4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,,by ,,the ',,friend4'--,the foregoing is a correct sketch of our conversations1 especially as the reporter has1 like his congressional brother1 corrected most of the bad grammar1 and left out some of the vulgarisms and colloquialisms1 and given me the better side of the argument in the last conversation2 it is very correct4 ,but it seems to me that the question put at the commencement is as far from being solved as ever4 ,it is as difficult to be answered as the question1 ,what is ,christianity8 to which every sect will return a different reply1 and each prove all the others wrong4 ,portsmouth1 7,n4 ,h47 ,j4 ,k4 ,jr4 ,,lines ,,sent ,,with ,a ,,bouquet4 ,,by ,,park ,,benjamin4 ,i4 ,i've read in legends old of men ,who hung up fruits and flowers ,before the altar-shrines of those ,they called ,superior ,powers3 ,it was1 ,i think1 a blessed thought ,that things so pure and sweet ,should be esteemed an offering ,for gods and angels meet4 ,,ii4 ,i imitate that charming rite ,in this our sober day1 ,and1 when ,i worship1 strew sweet flowers ,along my angel's way3 ,and1 if my heart's fond prayer be heard1 ,the offering ,i renew2 ,for flowers like books have leaves that speak1 ,and thoughts of every hue4 ,,iii4 ,they are ,love's paper1 pictured o'er ,with gentle hopes and fears2 ,their blushes are the smiles of ,love1 ,and their soft dew his tears6 ,ah6 more than poet's pen can write ,or poet's tongue reveal ,is hidden by their folded buds ,and by their rosy seal4 ,,iv4 ,mute letters6 yet how eloquent6 ,expressive silence dwells ,in every blossom ,heaven creates1 ,like sound in ocean shells4 ,press to my flowers thy lips1 beloved1 ,and then thy heart will see ,inscribed upon their leaves the words ,i dare not breathe to thee6 ,,the ,,alms ,,house4 ,,by ,a ,,new ,,contributor4 ,it is not my purpose in the following narrative to point out all the evils arising from the modern practice of relieving the wants of the poor and destitute which prevails in this country and in ,england1 where the arm of the law compels that pittance which should be the voluntary donation of benevolence2 one consequence of which system is1 that the poor claim support as a debt due from society at large1 and feel no gratitude toward any of the individuals paying the tax4 ,the payer of the tax1 on the other hand1 feeling that he can claim no merit for surrendering that which is wrung from him by force1 and expecting no thanks for the act1 and knowing that in many cases it operates as a bounty on idleness1 hates the ungrateful burthen thus imposed upon him1 and strives to reduce it to the least possible amount4 ,in this way the ties which should bind together the poor and the rich are sundered4 ,the benevolence of the patron and the gratitude of the dependent1 which formerly existed1 is changed to dislike and suspicion on the one part1 and envy and ingratitude on the other4 ,doubtless one design of ,providence in suffering want and misery to exist in the world1 is that the benevolent virtues should be kept in exercise4 ,he who was benevolence itself1 seemed thus to think1 when he said3 ',the poor ye have always with you4' ,but man in his selfishness virtually says3 ',the poor we will not have with us2 we will put them out of our sight4' ,for in many towns in ,new-,england1 and probably in other ,states1 it is customary to contract with some individual for their support2 or1 in other words1 to sell them by auction1 to him who will support them by the year1 for the least sum per head4 ,to illustrate some of the results of this system1 the following incidents are related from memory1 having been witnessed by me in my native place 7an interior town in ,new-,england7 at an age when the feelings are most susceptible4 ,and so deep was the impression then made on my mind1 that ,i am enabled to vouch for the accuracy of the details4 ,a meeting for the purpose of disposing of the poor of the town for the ensuing year was held at the house of the person who had kept them the previous year1 7and where these unfortunates still were7 as well because it was supposed he would again bid for them1 as that those who wished to become competitors might ascertain their number and condition4 ,it was in the afternoon of a day in ,november1 one of those dark and dreary days so common to the season and climate1 adding gloom to the surrounding objects1 in themselves sufficiently cheerless4 ,the house was situated on an obscure road in a remote part of the town1 surrounded by level and sandy fields2 and the monotony of the prospect only broken by scattered clumps of dwarf-pine and shrub-oak2 a few stunted apple-trees1 the remains of an orchard which the barren soil had refused to nourish2 some half ruinous out-houses1 and a meagre kitchen garden enclosed with a common rough fence1 completed the picture without4 ,still more depressing was the scene within4 ,the paupers were collected in the same room with their more fortunate townsmen1 that the bidders might be enabled to view more closely their condition1 and estimate the probable expense of supporting them through the year4 ,many considerations entered as items into this sordid calculation2 such as the very lowest amount of the very coarsest food which would suffice1 7not to keep them in comfort1 but to sustain their miserable existence for the next three hundred and sixty-five days1 and yet screen the provider from the odium of having starved his victims17 the value of the clothes they then wore1 and thus the future expense of their clothing2 and other such considerations1 which ,i will not farther disgust the reader by enumerating4 ,they were about twenty in number1 and not greatly distinguished from the ordinary poor of a country town in ,new-,england2 unless by there being present three idiot daughters of one poor man1 whose low and narrow foreheads1 sunken temples1 fixed but dead and unmeaning eyes1 half opened and formless mouths1 indicating even to childhood the absence of that intellectual light1 which in those who possess it shines through the features4 ,insanity also was there1 that most dreadful infliction of ,providence2 the purpose of which lies hidden in the darkness which surrounds ,his throne4 ,its unhappy subject was with them1 but not of them4 ,his eyes were fixed upon the scene1 but the uncertain fire which illumined his features was caused by thoughts which had no connection with the passing scene4 ,vice1 too1 had its representatives2 for in a community where wealth is nearly the only source of distinction1 and where ,mammon is consequently worshipped as the true god1 the destiny of the unfortunate and of the vicious is nearly the same4 ,and the 'poor-house' was used1 as in other towns in ,new-,england1 as a house of correction1 and at this time contained several professors of vice of each sex4 ,alas6 of that sex which when corrupt is more dangerous than the other in a like condition1 as the most rich and grateful things are in their decay the most noxious6 ,the remaining number consisted of the aged and childless widow1 the infirm and friendless old man1 the sick1 the deformed1 and the cripple2 the virtuous poor1 in forced and loathed contact with vice and infamy4 ,those of society who in life's voyage had been stranded on the bleak and barren coast of charity1 and who were now waiting for death to float them into the ocean of eternity4 ,while this scene was passing at the alms-house1 another connected with it1 and fitted to excite still deeper feelings1 was acting in another part of the town4 ,a person who was that year one of the select-men1#a and a deacon in the church1 was delegated by his colleagues to bring to the alms-house the 'lone woman' who forms the chief subject of our homely story4 ,the widow ,selden 7a brief history of whom it will be necessary to give7 had received an education suited rather to the respectability and former wealth of her family1 than to its subsequent reduced condition1 became in early life the wife of a merchant of our village1 a man of good character and fair prospects1 to whom she was much attached4 ,traders in ,new-,england where wealth is so eagerly sought1 are1 especially in country towns1 men of much consideration1 as engaged in a money-making business4 ,mrs4 ,selden1 therefore1 independently of her personal merits1 was not likely to be neglected4 ,her company was sought by the best society of our place1 and she exchanged visits on equal terms even with the families of the clergyman and the village lawyer4 #a ,men who are yearly selected by the inhabitants to superintend the business of the town1 and who1 among other duties1 have the charge of managing the poor4 ,a few years of quiet enjoyment passed1 happily varied by the accession of a fair and delicate little girl1 who might be seen at their cheerful meals seated in her high chair1 the common object of their care and attention2 and not only affording in her fragile little person the strongest bond of union1 but the never-tiring subject of conversation4 ,sad indeed was the change in this once happy family1 when the widow and orphan sat alone at the cheerless board4 ,death had entered and taken from them the sun of their little world4 ,the bereaved wife might have sunk under this calamity1 had not maternal solicitude been mixed with grief4 ,with that admirable fortitude and submission to duty so common to those of her sex in similar circumstances1 she at once devoted herself with increased solicitude to the remaining object of her care and affection4 ,for a time but little change was visible in the family arrangements1 for though a sensitive she was a spirited woman4 ,her garden1 which had been the pride and delight of her husband1 still flourished in perfect neatness4 ,after the usual time of decent seclusion1 she again interchanged visits with her friends and neighbors1 and continued to maintain the stand in the village society which had always been conceded to her4 ,but this state of things did not long continue1 for alas6 the gathering as well as the protecting hand was removed4 ,her more aristocratic acquaintances now began to remark that her table showed less of plenty and variety than formerly1 and that her dress1 though perfectly neat1 was less new and fashionable than they expected in their associates2 for no where is the distinction between the rich and poor more rigidly enforced than in country villages4 ,most offensively marked is this distinction in the house of ,god1 where if any where this side the grave ought the rich and the poor to meet on a level1 before ,him who regards not the outward estate of his creatures4 ,but modern ,christians have contrived to evade the rebuke of the apostle by the cunning device of introducing the noisy auctioneer1 and under a show of fairness and equality1 'the man in goodly apparel and having a gold ring' is assigned the highest seat2 and albeit a skeptic1 by the weight of his purse crowds the humble worshippers to the wall and into the corners of their ,father's house4 ,it was observed that the lone woman declined competition for those seats so eagerly sought by the more wealthy1 and selected those of a humbler character1 and eventually retired to the 'widow's pew1' a pew set apart1 in country churches1 for the gratuitous accommodation of those in that unhappy condition4 ,sincerely religious1 the ,christian widow still waited upon ,god in the house of prayer1 but felt the whole sting of poverty when slowly and humbly wending her way to her obscure corner1 her faded and well-worn dress was brushed by the new and rich garments of her former equals as they swept past her to their high seats4 ,the neat and handsome dwelling with its trim garden was at length resigned for one which barely sheltered the mother and child from the weather1 and was totally devoid of the cheap luxury of fruit and flowers which had enriched and beautified their former home4 ,time wore on1 and ,want with its train of sordid attendants visited their dwelling4 ,her former associates1 one after another declined her society as an equal4 ,occasionally calling1 they were eloquent in excuses for their neglect2 for when did the prosperous lack an excuse for neglecting the unfortunate8 ,counsel and advice were lavished upon her2 for ,i have observed that advice is the only thing that the rich impart freely to the poor4 ,religion too was the frequent subject of their conversation2 for how can benevolence be shown more strongly than by a concern for the well-being of the soul1 which is to exist forever1 in comparison with which1 the transient wants of the body are as nothing8 ,accordingly1 the poor widow1 after her scanty meal1 and over her dim and cheerless hearth1 was exhorted by her fur-clad and well-fed friends1 to disregard the evils of this fleeting life1 and receive with resignation the chastenings of ,providence2 for we all needed correction1 being by nature utterly sinful and depraved4 ,and after some vague and indefinite offers of assistance1 the good women would take their leave4 ,a way of discharging duty discovered by modern philanthropists2 and when accompanied by the ,societies' tract1 seldom fails to convince the unfortunate object of charity that to ,heaven alone should they look for assistance and sympathy4 ,this lady1 as we have intimated1 possessed a large share of that generous spirit so common in her sex1 which enabled her to sustain herself amid the evils which oppressed her4 ,and nobly did the mother strive to shield from want and ignorance the little orphan1 now her only care4 ,her own education enabled her in some measure to supply the place of teachers1 which she was unable to employ4 ,and never was maternal care better rewarded than by the improvement of the gentle being under her charge4 ,but in this blessed employment the poor mother was interrupted4 ,while health continued1 she had been enabled by the most unremitted exertion to prevent the approach of absolute want1 slight indeed as were her earnings4 7,the modern improvements in machinery having destroyed domestic manufacture1 properly so called1 and left but little for the female to earn who is not attending its motions in the noisy factory47 ,but illness had intervened1 and diminished even that small resource2 and it was apparent to all that the want of suitable food assisted in blanching still more the fair face of the poor child4 ,maternal love had conquered the honest pride of the poor mother so far as to constrain her to accept the slight and uncertain donations of her neighbors4 ,but this assistance1 scanty as it was1 could not continue4 ,the tax-paying husbands of the benevolent ladies who furnished it1 complained that the poor-rates were heavy1 and that they had already helped to pay for a house of refuge for the poor and the destitute1 could not1 in addition to this1 support them out of it4 ,she was told it was her duty to place her daughter in some family to be brought up as a servant4 ,in vain did she assert her ability to maintain herself and child when health should return4 ,her advisers could little sympathize with her feelings1 and reproached her with pride4 ,and she was now harassed with the fear that her delicate and cultivated little girl would be torn from her1 and made a factory slave or household drudge2 for such power had the laws given to the rulers of the town4 ,but this fear1 miserable as it was1 was now overpowered by another4 ,the suggestion had reached the ear of the unhappy woman that she and her child would be conveyed to the house of the town's poor1 the place we have attempted to describe4 ,god grant that no fair reader of this homely but too true story should ever feel the misery which this fear inflicted on the mind of this friendless mother6 ,oh1 that true ,charity had been present in the person of her best representative on earth1 a sensible1 affectionate and liberal-minded woman1 to minister to the wants1 to soothe the mind of her unhappy sister-woman1 and cheer her exertions for self-support6 ,none such appeared1 and the heart of the poor woman sank within her4 ,her exertions were paralyzed2 for struggle as she might to avoid it1 the alms-house1 with its debased and debasing society1 was ever before her eyes as her ultimate destiny4 ,it was in vain that she endeavored to prepare her mind for this result4 ,she could endure any degree of privation1 but not degradation and infamy4 ,time wore on1 without any renewed hints of interference1 and she began to hope that she was forgotten4 ,delusive hope6 ,it was felt as a disgrace that she should suffer1 when the law had provided a remedy1 and they had paid for it4 ,and it was therefore decreed by the magnates of the town that she must be removed1 and the day had arrived 7with which we commenced our narrative17 on which the paupers were to be disposed of for the coming year4 ,deacon ,s---- was the person deputed by his colleagues1 as we have mentioned1 to convey ,mrs4 ,selden and her daughter to the alms-house4 ,however prepared we may suppose ourselves to meet misfortune1 the moment of its arrival takes us by surprise4 ,we will not attempt to picture the utter desolation of mind and the despair which filled her heart1 when this man arrived at her door1 to convey herself1 and oh6 far worse1 her innocent and intelligent child1 to that scene of vice and debasement4 ,although her dislike to the measure was known1 yet from her quiet and reserved manners1 little opposition was anticipated4 ,the evils of life had accumulated upon her in a regular gradation1 and she had been enabled to bear their weight1 up to this point1 with outward composure2 looking forward to1 but yet hoping this last cup of bitterness would never be presented2 or if presented1 that some means might be found to avert it4 ,but the dreadful crisis had arrived4 ,had the whole board of authority been present1 ,i should be glad to believe1 for the honor of humanity1 that they would have been moved to relent1 as they would not have been able to shift the responsibility from one to the other1 as is the wont of such bodies when the members act separately4 ,when the poor woman had so far recovered from the first shock as to be enabled to articulate1 she pleaded her ability to maintain herself without assistance1 and her choice rather to starve than be removed4 ,she appealed to him as the father of a daughter1 and painted the ruin which would fall upon her own1 exposed to the corruption and example of the place to which he was taking her4 ,she appealed to him as a ,christian1 and reminded him that they had sat together before the sacred desk1 and partaken of the symbols of the body and blood of the ,son of ,him who was in a peculiar manner the father of the widow and orphan4 ,but her auditor was destitute of the imagination which enables the possessor to enter into the feelings of another2 and these affecting appeals fell dead upon his worldly and unsympathizing nature4 ,the man even extended his hand to urge her forward to the conveyance provided6 ,at that moment1 when all hope was dead within her1 and the worst that could happen in her opinion had arrived1 a change came over the unhappy woman4 ,she suffered herself unresistingly to be led forward to her doom4 ,the fine chords of the mind and heart1 lately so intensely strung1 had parted2 her countenance relaxed1 and her features settled down into a dead1 unmeaning apathy2 never again1 during the short remainder of her life1 to be animated by one gleam of the feelings which had so lately illumined but to destroy4 ,my kind1 my indulgent mother6 ,her generous heart needed not the eloquence of my youthful feelings to induce her to rescue the poor orphan1 and to cherish her as her own child4 ,and never was kindness more richly---- ,i had proceeded thus far in writing this narrative1 when ,i discovered that ,i was overlooked2 and a gentle voice over my shoulder said3 ',you should not praise your own wife2 it is the same as if you should praise yourself6' ,e4 ,b4 ,,apostrophe ,,to ,,health4 ,,hygeia6 most blest of the powers ,that tenant the mansions divine1 ,may ,i pass in thy presence the hours ,that remain1 ere in death ,i recline6 ,dwell with me1 benevolent charm6 ,without the attendance of health ,not the smiles of affection can warm1 ,and dull are the splendors of wealth4 ,the pageant of empire is stale ,that lifts men like gods o'er their race1 ,and the heart's thrilling impulses fail ,when ,love beckons on to the chase4 ,whate'er in itself joy can give1 ,or that springs from sweet respite of pain1 ,that mortals or gods can receive1 ,blest ,,hygeia6 is found in thy train6 ,thy smile kindles up the fresh spring1 ,the glad1 verdant bloom of the soul2 ,thee absent1 our pleasures take wing1 ,and ,sorrow usurps her control4 ,,isabel4 ,hush6 her face is chill1 ,and the summer blossom4 ,motionless and still1 ,lieth on her bosom4 ,on her shroud so white1 ,like snow in winter weather1 ,her marble hands unite1 ,quietly together4 ,how like sleep the spell ,on her lids that falleth6 ,wake1 sweet ,isabel6 ,lo6 the morning calleth4 ,how like ,sleep6--'tis ,death6 ,sleep's own gentle brother2 ,heaven holds her breath-- ,she is with her mother6 ,,one ,,reading ,,from ,,two ,,poets4 ----,my imagination ,carries no favor in it but ,bertram's4 ,i am undone2 there is no living1 none1 ,if ,bertram be away4 ,,shakspeare4 ,should ,,god create another ,eve and ,i ,another rib afford1 yet loss of thee ,would never from my heart4 ,,milton4 ,i have this evening1 while seated in my lonely chamber1 ventured--not1 ,i hope1 with profane hands--to draw one inappreciable gem from out of the carcanet of each of the two unrivalled masters of the poetry of our language4 ,i was curious to see the effect to be produced by a close juxtaposition of these two exquisite specimens of the soul's light2 of the revealment of its original genius2 of the intense brilliancy of its ,truth1 falling as it does in one ray upon two objects so diverse in their character as the virgin love of the retired and comparatively humble but devoted ,helena1 and the married constancy of the ,father of our race4 ,the effect reminds me of an chappe de lumire that ,i once beheld in the gallery of the ,vatican1 when a sudden emergence of light brightened with the same gleam the calm face of the ,virgin of the clouds1 7called di ,foligno17 and at the same instant illuminated the whole principal figure in the ,transfiguration of ,raffaelle2 floating as it does1 and tending almost with a movement upward1 in the air of 'the high mountain' where the miracle took place----as these two grand paintings then stood1 side by side1 in the solemn1 in the holy quiet of that lofty and sequestered apartment4 ,o moment6 never to be forgotten1 never to be obscured by any lapse of after time6 ,and thus1 although in a less palpable world1 do these two passages of immortal verse1 wearing each its beam of golden light1 stand in their effulgence before the sympathies of the observer alive to the charms and influences of moral beauty6 ,surely no other poet has the world produced comparable to ,shakspeare for the revelation of the love of the yet unwedded girl2 and who is there to be named with ,milton1 in the tenderness and truth with which he has touched upon conjugal relationship2 and that necessity1 that inappeasable requirement of intercommunion that accompanies1 as its immediate consequence1 the sacrament of the nuptial rite where there is destined to exist the real1 the progressive1 the indissoluble intermarriage of soul with soul6 ,how effectually and with what truth does the dramatic ,bard raise the veil and exhibit to us the imagination of this retired girl1 bred up in all the deep earnestness of mind that a country life and comparative seclusion could induce1 dwelling and brooding over the form of one individual brought into intimate association with her1 'seeing him every hour' where she had little else to interest her1 nor any thing to contemplate1 but1 as she says1 'sit and draw ,his archd brows1 his hawking eye1 his curls1 ,in our heart's table2 heart too capable ,of every trick and line of his sweet favour4 99 99 99 99 99 ----it hurts not him ,that he is loved of me3 ,i follow him not ,with any token of presumptuous suit4 ,i know ,i love in vain1 strive against hope1 ,yet1 in this captious and intenible sieve1 ,i still pour in the waters of my love ,and lack not to love still4' ,behold her as she sits1 the beautiful creation6--delighting to magnify the qualities of the idol of her affections and to depreciate herself in the comparison2 overlooking1 perhaps incapable of once imagining the thought of his harsh and selfish and impracticable nature1 and constantly endowing him with all the fresher breathings of her spiritual existence--like the ,rainbow of the ,waterfall1 that clothes1 with its own celestial dyes1 the dark and shapeless mass of ,rock upon whose bosom it appears to dwell6 faltering1 trembling1 quivering1 fading1 disappearing2 returning1 resting2--glowing1 yet never dazzling2 liquid1 yet sustained6 ',it were all one ,that ,i should love a bright particular star ,and seek to wed it1 he is so above me3 ,in his bright radiance and collateral light ,must ,i be comforted1 not in his sphere4 ,the hind that would be mated by the lion ,must die for love6 ,this is the way in which these precious irradiations of joy beam and hover over man2 startled and frightened often out of the presence even of his image while they thus adorn and decorate him2 and then they love him for what they fondly dream to be the halo of his proper spirit2 for the light and tenderness1 the purity1 the gentleness1 the refinement and grace1 that have their life and element and colour1 only in the deep yet overflowing heart of ,woman in her ,love6 ,but then comes ,wedlock2 and often1 with wedlock1 comes marriage2 or succeeds it2 the marriage that ,,god bestowed on man in ,eve1 when1 according to that scriptural and exquisite conception1 they twain become one4 ,when the ,rock shall as by a miracle receive into all its crevices1 interstices1 and pores1 the beautiful existence that has played upon it6 ,when the soul of man opens at every noble passion in succession and at every pulse1 to embrace1 imbibe1 absorb1 receive1 possess1 acquire1 the being that we call ,,woman6 finds her in every former want1 or present wish1 or bright1 or unfrequented passage of the soul2 now all occupied1 all satisfied by her2 fancies thoughts to be his thoughts which are her thoughts2 and blesses himself1 when he discovers it1 that imaginations in themselves so sweet1 should in some visit of her delicate spirit have been breathed into his ,,essence from a source so pure6 is near her1 when distant2 is present with her1 when absent2 converses with her1 without words2 gazes upon her1 without sight2 listens to her1 without sound2 watches her1 without motion2 and has not yet lost her balmy presence when ,death shall long have removed forever that precious image from his corporal sense4 ,this is ,,marriage4 ,out of this state descends that profound expression of the soul in ,milton1 7,,god make us thankful for him67 when he intends the verb that he escapes in the passage that adorns my ,essay1 should be supplied by a pulsation in the breast of ,eve3 'yet loss of thee ,would never--from my heart4' ,would never8--would never be torn1 out-rooted1 obliterated1 banished1 extinguished1 forgotten1 diminished1 obscured1 from his heart4 ,the throb of her spirit is to supply the word1 or mould the thought1 and vivify the pause so as to satisfy her full affection to its utmost contentment and desire4 ,this is marriage4 ,this is attainment to that state of more perfect existence which terrestrial life procures for the soul of man1 never thenceforth in all its future changes to be lost4 ,the incorporeal mingling1 the mystical union of two varied emanations of life2 as ,light and ,heat intermarry in their offset and passage from the sun2 and ,truth and ,love from the breast of ,,the ,,ineffable6 ,how can ,i live without thee6 how forego ,thy sweet converse and love so dearly join'd ,to live again in these wild woods forlorn8 ,should ,,god create another ,eve and ,i ,another rib afford1 yet loss of thee ,would never from my heart3 no1 no1 ,i feel ,the link of nature draw me4 ,bone of my bone thou art and from thy state ,mine never shall be parted1 bliss or woe4 ,and shall the passage of one such soul across the mere brook of ,death dissolve affiances so deep1 so latent1 and so pure as this8 ,this ,life of ,life1 is it to be so suddenly quenched in man1 and man himself continue to exist8 ,shall the soul that lingers here still retaining its identity lose that which has chiefly formed for it a distinctive being8 ,or entering into a happier state of existence shall it be dispossessed of all that treasure of recollection and delight on which its joys and hopes have been so largely founded8 ,these long remembrances of mutual beneficence and good1 these intertwining and interwoven affections1 and the unbounded and mingling love of their common offspring1 shall these all perish and the soul itself yet be styled immortal8 ,or1--shall the first-gone spirit meet its arriving mate upon the border of that further shore1 bless it with the radiant welcome of celestial companionship and guidance1 and lead it on to higher virtue in a happier state1 as it hath beamed upon it and in part educated it on ,earth8----,doubt this not1 my ,heart6 ,doubt this not1 my ,soul6 ,,john ,,waters4 ,,where ,,is ,,the ,,spirit-,,world8 ,,by ,a ,,new ,,contributor4 ,perhaps the ,world of ,spirits ,is the invisible air1 ,and every soul inherits ,its endless portion there1 ,when mortal lays its mortal by1 ,and puts on immortality4 ,then round us and above us ,unseen1 the souls of those ,that hate us and that love us ,in motion or repose1 ,to plan and work our good or ill1 ,as when on earth1 are busy still4 ,for ,enmity surviveth ,this transitory life2 ,spirit with spirit striveth ,in an unending strife2 ,all roots of evil planted now ,eternally shall live and grow4 ,so friendship ever liveth ,immortal as the soul1 ,and purer pleasure giveth ,as longer ages roll2 ,and hope and joy and inward peace ,forever heighten and increase6 ,our homes and dwelling-places1 ,the country of our birth1 ,the old familiar faces ,endeared to us on earth1 ,and every source and scene of joy ,our spirits' senses shall employ4 ,so shall our true affections1 ,to earthly objects given1 ,form intimate connections ,between our world and heaven2 ,and all our long existence move ,in an unbroken stream of love4 ,,the ,,tyranny ,,of ,,affection4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,ennslo4 ,methinks those who preach up the dignity of human nature1 and expatiate upon its original perfections1 must look upon it through magic glasses3 to some perceptions at least1 it presents even in its best estate a picture of such abortive aims1 such woful short-comings1 such clouded brightness1 that even in those better natures1 where we feel sure that the sun of virtue does shine1 the noxious vapors of human frailty1 pride in all its various ramifications1 selfishness under its many disguises1 prejudice with its endless excuses1 etc41 etc41 do so envelope it that we cannot hope to feel the warmth of its rays until some wholesome trial1 some aptly-apportioned cross1 clear away these paralyzing influences and force it into action4 ,what seems at the first glance freer from this dross than the love of man to man8 the love of the creature for his fellow2 the ordained test of his love to his ,creator8 ,what seems more preminently pure than the affection of the parent for the child1 who owes him not only life but the nurture which has maintained and elevated that life8 ,yet even here1 even over this fair garden of peace1 the trail of the serpent may be detected4 ,the tyranny of deep affection is seen in every relation of life3 we love a cherished object1 it may be with every fibre of our heart1 ay1 even idolatrously2 we would willingly spend and be spent to surround the beloved one with materials for enjoyment2 but these materials must be of our selection2 we would sacrifice ourselves to lead them to happiness1 but we must point out the road to them2 we will bear every thing1 endure every thing1 but the mortification of seeing them receive good at other hands than our own4 ,ah6 there are some rare exceptions to this rule1 but surely not more than enough to constitute it a rule4 ,who that enjoyed the privilege of domestic intercourse with the venerable and venerated father of the lovely ,lucy ,lee2 he the most beloved as well as respected inhabitant of the small town of ----2 she not only the prettiest but by far the most winning in her deportment of all the young female circle of the place1 of whom she was beyond all question the ornament4 ,who that witnessed the fond pride with which the good old man gazed upon her1 as she glided around him1 ministering to his wants with that watchful ingenuity which characterizes woman's affection2 who that heard the tone of tenderness which marked even the most trifling word addressed to her2 a tenderness that seemed as if it might by its deep pathos invoke every beneficent spirit to watch over her for good2 his early morning greeting1 always accompanied by an upward look1 which proclaimed a daily aspiration of gratitude to the great ,giver for the precious gift2 the nightly benediction which ever seemed as if it might grow into a prayer for her welfare during the hours of darkness2 who that witnessed all this--and they could not be seen together without many such hourly demonstrations of the father's love for his child shining through his every word and action--but would have felt assured that this love fashioned his every plan1 and marked his estimate of the things of life8 ,ah6 of a certainty1 it must have been so2 her happiness must have been safe in his keeping2 and in truth1 happiness had hitherto seemed hers by prescriptive right4 ,but all lanes however long turn at last1 and those most richly strewn with flowers are generally alas6 by far the shortest4 ,eighteen summers had flown since that which saw the little ,lucy installed sole possessor and sole solace of her bereaved father's heart2 sole pledge of a love which deeply rooted in a breast no longer subject to the changeful fancies of youth1 7for he had more than attained the prime of middle-age when the original of the precious little miniature first enchained his affections17 never revived for any other1 but spent itself in a doting fondness for this fair image of the lost one4 ,indeed it seemed that every throb came with a double import from his burdened heart2 the parent's fondness ever mingling a tribute to the memory of her whose life had been the price of the costly gift4 ,it is not always that the devotion of a parent is so entirely appreciated as in this case2 all ,mr4 ,lee's efforts to promote his daughter's happiness were crowned with entire success1 and until the period mentioned above1 no one had ever detected on her lovely brow the semblance of a cloud4 ,but the course of nature cannot be altered2 the petted child will one day grow into the wilful woman2 and however it may have been only a pleasant task to follow the windings of the childish fancy ingenious in its caprice2 and only amusing to submit to the childish tyranny which pursues its own beau-ideal of sport with reckless pertinacity2 there sometimes comes a change when the spoiled darling takes her first step upon the threshold of maturity2 when1 with all the fresh vigor of youth in her untutored will1 she begins to assert her privilege1 to cater for her own happiness1 and fashion her future according to the visions of her own fancy4 ,then comes in the world with its many and diversified claims2 claims so vigorously enforced1 but from which it is the first impulse of the young heart to turn with loathing3 it cannot bear to believe its happy independence of all such considerations at an end2 it does not submit easily to these new trammels4 ,ah6 how differently has passed the previous life6 ,something holy gathers round a child2 it seems to move superior to the base claims of the world and its paltry rewards2 and although often1 it must be confessed1 the young intellect is early impressed with the idea that its best efforts should be devoted to the insuring of worldly approbation1 still the little one's course of life is so distinct from the busy race to which we would train it1 that we cannot if we would entirely chain down its thoughts2 nay1 we shrink before the pure innocence which cannot even understand our weakness2 and often yield a tribute to its superior dignity by concealing our own care for such distinctions4 ,to those too who have seen much of life1 and learnt to feel its hollowness1 real childishness of thought and feeling is so refreshing1 that they love rather to prolong the period than to shorten it4 ,to ,mr4 ,lee the little ,lucy seemed so entirely perfect in her infantine simplicity and purity1 that had he breathed a wish for the future1 it would probably have been that she should always continue his little ,lucy2 he cared for no change1 and as it appeared1 perceived none in her4 ,time passed on however1 and before he had become well aware that the little fairy whose tiny form must needs so short a while since clamber on his knee to stroke and pat his cheek1 had now shot up into a tall girl1 who could take his arm in a long walk1 or canter beside him all the morning on her well trained pony1 there came a change over the course of his quiet household little startling4 ,visitors began to throng the hall2 not those staid personages who had hitherto been wont to gather round the warm hearth in winter1 or the sheltered piazza in the hot days of summer1 and with feet upreared on mantel-piece or bannister1 discuss the affairs of state1 and the price of crops2 new editions of these respected individuals now appeared2 nephews and sons came in their train2 young friends1 more perhaps than these gentlemen were before aware of possessing1 sought an introduction at their hands1 or came without any1 on the plea perhaps of having met at a tea-party1 or some such strong necessity for acquaintanceship with the fair ,lucy2 while the good ,mr4 ,lee1 often to his not very pleased surprise1 found on awaking from his afternoon's nap1 that the book whose contents he had purposed should perform their daily office of inspiring his dreams had been laid aside1 while the voice which had lulled him to sleep was now charming other and younger ears in merry though perhaps suppressed cadences4 ,the variety in these visitors too grew somewhat annoying2 new people came1 and ,mr4 ,lee liked not new people4 ,he was a man of warm but very exclusive feelings2 he loved but a few1 and he liked no others3 his prejudices were strong1 and having lived a very secluded life1 the routine of which presented no very decided obstacle to those prejudices1 his estimate of men and things had not altered with the general course of the world around him4 ,liberal to an extreme in his dealings with men1 his intercourse with them1 except in matters of business1 was confined to a very limited circle4 ,absolute in his requisitions from such as approached him as intimates1 his friendship was given only to those who met his views in every respect2 especially whose political opinions coincided with his own4 ,indeed this seemed to be with him the one grand test4 ,though never meddling in his own person with public life1 he had such an abstract love for its intricacies that he could at all times warm into actual enthusiasm over a newspaper2 a single paragraph from the pen one of his own way of thinking sufficing to kindle his feelings into a glow of patriotism1 while a civil word of dissent would seem to chill his sympathies for his kind2 strong disapprobation blinding his perceptions to any good possible in those differing from his established standard4 ,now it was not to be expected that the young ,lucy's circle would be modelled according to such restrictions2 she loved her kind old father with the clinging fondness of an unweaned infant for its mother2 but though again and again she would1 to gratify him1 toil through a whole pamphlet1 its meaning as dark to her perceptions as the close and blurred print to his failing eyes1 it may well be imagined that her girlish brain failed to receive any other impression from the contents than of their excessive tedium2 certainly if she formed therefrom any opinion regarding his favorite party1 it was most probably the not very flattering one that its members were all especially tiresome and prolix4 ,either from this notion1 or a contradiction natural to human nature1 it so happened that among the rivals for the lovely ,lucy's smiles1 none seemed to possess such power in riveting her attention as a certain young gentleman1 who although not only the son of a leading man in the opposition1 but holding himself a somewhat prominent place in the ranks of the condemned party1 yet continued with a boldness much to be wondered at to engross the young lady's time by frequent visits of most unfashionable length1 in spite of ,mr4 ,lee's open vituperations of all the manoeuvres of the said party4 ,the undaunted aspirant turned a deaf ear however to this1 taking every thing that was said in good part1 until one day1 when suddenly his patience seemed to give out4 ,news had just been received of the marriage of a former school-mate of ,lucy's1 the daughter of an old esteemed comrade1 orthodox in all his views1 to an individual decidedly in the wrong on the one important point4 ,first1 how astonished1 next how entirely shocked1 was the good old gentleman6 ',what a falling off6 to give his child to ----6 ,pshaw6 what would the world come to6 ,where were his principles8 where his wisdom8 where his honor8' etc41 etc4 ,lucy1 frightened perhaps at her father's vehemence1 turned pale4 ,dr4 ,kent1 the friend and physician of the family1 who chanced to be present1 endeavored to calm him1 but with little success2 and ,mr4 ,lillburgh1 unable as it seemed to join in condemning this 'mis-alliance1' left the house somewhat abruptly4 ,soon after this1 however1 an opportune influx of papers and pamphlets caused a salutary diversion in ,mr4 ,lee's irritated feelings2 and as ,lucy's most monopolizing visitor seemed quite to have disappeared1 he could now enjoy his favorite luxury of drinking in1 through the medium of the voice he loved so well1 the words of wisdom he honored so highly4 ,whether these tiresome lectures proved too burdensome for her young spirits1 or some other cause operated to injure her health1 did not appear2 but just at this time1 when ,mr4 ,lee seemed to find his life especially comfortable and pleasant1 his hitherto blooming daughter gradually began to droop2 her spirits1 formerly so even1 were now constantly fluctuating3 at times she would sit pale and distraite among a gay and laughing circle of her young associates1 while at others1 a ring at the bell1 a step in the hall1 would suffice to call the color to her cheek and kindle animation in her eye4 ,it was this variation perhaps1 together with certain animating plans of his own1 which rendered her father insensible to her condition2 for by a strange contradiction in the course of things1 he seemed just at this time especially occupied with forming brilliant plans for her future4 ,fairly aware now of her being no longer a child1 he would comment upon her dress1 urge her to more ornament1 and then with a knowing look speak of his anticipated pleasure in the society of two expected visitors1 one staunch old veteran of the true faith1 and his son1 a worthy descendant1 one who deserved the smiles of the fair for the brilliant speech he had made the last session4 ,poor ,lucy at each reference to this subject would look more and more uncomfortable2 but her father1 thinking that she might be perhaps a little wayward2 while he grew daily more enamoured of his plan1 redoubled his tenderness1 seeking to study her whims in every other respect4 ,it is cruel to loose every bond but that which galls most sorely1 to pluck away every thorn but that which pricks most sharply3 all the perceptions gather to that point1 and the suffering is in consequence tenfold more acute4 ,such were ,lucy's sensations1 though she was perhaps scarcely conscious of them herself2 while at every demonstration of her father's tenderness1 the feelings which she knew to be rebels to his dearest wishes would seem to spring up and accuse her of ingratitude4 ,this struggle could not last2 at length the fond father became suddenly aware that some strange blight had fallen upon his darling1 and his whole soul was convulsed at the thought that evil might possibly threaten her2 he felt ready to send a proclamation through the world to summon all its skill to spend itself for her restoration4 ,upon second thoughts he made up his mind that there was but one man in the world to whom he would confide the precious trust2 yes1 he was fully assured that in the brain of ,dr4 ,kent1 the only lineal descendant of ,esculapius1 were to be found all the best resources of the art of healing2 he must always and on all occasions1 be more right than any one else4 ,why8 ,but why ask why1 when he had formed this opinion ever since ,dr4 ,kent first assumed the ,m4 ,d41 and had always held it firmly4 ,dr4 ,kent was summoned and soon appeared2 the startled girl1 sorely against her will1 was called into the room2 all the usual ceremony gone through2 the pulse tested1 the tongue examined1 etc41 and then suffered to slip out of the room4 ,mr4 ,lee listened with a beating heart for the doctor's decision3 this last did not deny that the young lady's appearance was strangely altered since he had last seen her1 which indeed was not since the evening above alluded to1 of ,mr4 ,lee's violent irritation against his old friend4 ,but the cause2 the next thing for the doctor to do was to discover the cause4 ,now ,dr4 ,kent1 although some people did say that he was no student1 had a considerable portion of what is called mother-wit2 and if he did not possess the stores of learning which might have been amassed by poring over his books1 he was at least without the abstraction which much scientific research is thought to occasion2 he looked around him with a shrewd eye1 and simply by putting two and two together1 often made very successful calculations4 ,he hesitated1 reflected and recollected2 'perhaps she wanted excitement1' he said2 'perhaps there was too little variety in her life for one so young4' ,mr4 ,lee assured him that she had always appeared very indifferent to society2 that until very lately she had always seemed as happy as the day was long1 and to desire no other company than that of the visitors who dropped in upon them occasionally4 ',well1 we must have something more amusing for her than visiting2 something more exciting4' ,the doctor here mused again for a few moments3 ',you say she has seemed happy until very lately8' ',yes1 it is only lately that she has seemed to droop4' ',well1 perhaps she's been particularly dull lately2 now by way of experiment1 suppose you at once summon a large party to your house2 let it be a very general invitation2 all your acquaintances1 that is the young ones1 her acquaintances2 all who have ever visited at the house2 and as you may not be able to remember them all1 it will be best to direct her to do it in your name2 this will of itself furnish her with a rather exciting occupation4 ,all this is by way of experiment ,i say1 for it may not be that she needs amusement1 but by the effect that company and gayety have upon her1 which ,i shall take care to be by and watch4 ,i have a notion that ,i shall be enabled to decide upon the character of her indisposition4 ,one thing however2 remember you must give me carte-blanche as to the course of treatment to be pursued2 your prejudices1 you confess you have them1 must not hamper me4' ',my prejudices6' replied ,mr4 ,lee2 'why what can they have to do with your prescriptions8 ,you know me well enough to be aware that ,i do not undertake to meddle with matters ,i do not understand2 the art of medicine for instance1 to which ,i make no pretensions2 of course ,i shall not interfere2 only tell me what is to be done for my child1 and you may be very sure no difficulty will arise on my part1 should it be that ,i must take her to ,egypt or ,kamtschatka4' ',it is not probable that ,i shall call upon you for any such effort2 on the contrary1 ,i have a strong impression that a very simple course will answer2 ,i was afraid you might not like its simplicity4' ',really1' said ,mr4 ,lee1 'that is too bad2 am ,i that sort of person8 ,don't tantalize me1 ,doctor1 but just tell me what ought to be done for my poor child1 and you must be assured that ,i will not object4' ',of course1 no father would1' said ,dr4 ,kent4 ',then why the deuce do you imagine for an instant that ,i would8' ',nay now1' said the physician1 'it is only a whim of mine1 and every one must be allowed some whims3 but good day2 remember your promise4' ',oh yes1 only make up your mind at once4' ,great was ,lucy's surprise1 when upon being again summoned by her father1 she received from him the commission just determined upon4 ,at one moment to have her pulse felt1 and the next to be told that she must prepare for entertaining a large party6 ,what did it mean8 ,the good father1 startled at her agitation1 assured her that he himself felt the want of a little more society1 and that he thought it would do him good to have a company of gay young people about him for an evening4 ,lucy was afraid she could not recollect all her acquaintances4 ',well1 no matter2 only invite all she could remember2 he should be satisfied with her arrangement of the affair4' ,whatever may have been the efforts of ,lucy's memory1 it is certain that only a moderate number of tickets were sent out for the appointed evening2 indeed it might have been feared that the doctor's experiment could scarcely have a fair scope in so limited a circle2 but finding that his patient had had her own way in the whole1 he seemed to feel quite assured of success4 ,before etiquette would have permitted the arrival of any other guest1 he had taken his place close beside the fair mistress of the revels1 and even after the room began to fill1 seemed determined to yield his envied position to no one4 ,those who said ,dr4 ,kent was no student1 should have seen him then2 his eye riveted on her fair young countenance1 there could be no doubt he was conning that closely4 ,at every fresh arrival1 how he watched the eager glance of inquiry6 how his gaze followed the course of the eloquent blood as it left the transparent cheek1 again to burden the disappointed heart6 ,the doctor was still puzzled2 the gay company had by no means yet wrought the change he looked for2 how was this8--but he held to his watch4 ,and now once more the door was thrown open1 and a young gentleman1 with a decidedly hesitating air and step1 approached the youthful hostess4 ,ah6 now the light no longer flickered in her clear blue eye2 it literally danced3 the awakened color left her cheek it is true1 as before1 but how soon it came again6 ',you positively have stood long enough1 and must sit down now1' said ,dr4 ,kent1 taking ,lucy's hand2 not the tip-ends of her fingers2 no1 the doctor was not one either to be satisfied with any such superficial plan of action1 or to forego his privileges2 on the contrary1 availing himself of his position of friend of the family1 he possessed himself of the whole of the little delicate hand1 when1 old habit it might be1 leading him to measure with some exactness the slender wrist thereto belonging1 he pressed it most cordially1 and after one or two moments of such demonstration of his affectionate regard1 yielded his place beside her to the last comer4 ,mr4 ,lee now joined him as he lounged upon a sofa1 with an air of entire inattention to what was going on around him1 yet turning from time to time a heedful glance upon ,lucy who sat just opposite1 replying more by blushes than words to the depressed tones of young ,mr4 ,lillburgh's voice4 ',well1 ,doctor1 and how goes on the experiment8' ,the anxious father tried to speak calmly1 but his voice trembled4 ',i am quite satisfied with my experiment1' replied ,dr4 ,kent2 'but ,i will confess 7you know ,i am a candid man7 that the result makes me feel a little serious4' ,dr4 ,kent knew1 as we all have an opportunity of knowing1 that a danger1 however startling1 for which we are at once provided with a remedy1 is soon scorned2 that it must stare us very decidedly in the face1 before we are willing to appreciate the said remedy4 ',yes1' continued he4 ',i had no idea of the deep root the disease had taken4' ',good heavens6 my friend1' exclaimed ,mr4 ,lee1 grasping ,dr4 ,kent's hand in the utmost agitation2 'and the remedy you thought of--is the case too serious for it to be available8' ',i trust not1' replied the ,doctor2 ',i believe indeed that if ,i can apply the proper remedy in time1 all may be well2 but as ,i said just now1 ,i am a candid man1 and don't like to raise false hopes3 ,i tell you frankly this case is not one to be trifled with2 it requires nice management3 the young lady is delicate1 very delicate2 her nervous system is now decidedly deranged4' ',but don't you think1 ,doctor1 don't you think1 my good friend1 that she looks a little better this evening8 ,see how animatedly she is listening to that young man3 by-the-by1 who is he8' ',oh1 no matter who he is1 so he amuses ,miss ,lucy4 ,but with regard to her case2 ,i will study it seriously to-night1 and tell you what result ,i have come to to-morrow about noon4 ,i shall give all my mind to it1 for ,i know how precious she must be to you2 ,i know that nothing the world has to give1 can make up to you for the most trifling evil that can assail her4' ',oh1 nothing1 nothing2 but what tormenting apprehensions you fill me with6 ,gracious heaven6 my dear ,sir1 she is my all2 my past1 my present1 my future are made by her2 but you will help me if you can4 ,may ,almighty wisdom aid you6' ,and the agitated father rushed out of the room1 unable any longer to control himself4 ,dr4 ,kent looked after him with something of commiseration in his countenance2 but being a decided enemy to homeopathic innovation1 he had made up his mind that a strong dose of apprehension was positively necessary2 and now1 only gratified at its powerful effect1 he resumed his surveillance with a heartlessly satisfied air4 ,this was no doubt rendered the more easy to him by ,mr4 ,lee's continued absence from the room3 the young ,lucy1 thus relieved from the observation which she unconsciously dreaded1 growing more and more at her ease1 enabled him to settle his opinion regarding her completely4 ,the evening finished1 as all evenings will2 the night also took its course as usual2 but when on the following morning ,dr4 ,kent appeared according to promise in his friend's parlor at the appointed hour1 he saw at once that it had been passed by both in a manner very different from those lately preceding it4 ,lucy looked as if some new impetus had been given to her whole being2 too much agitated for happiness1 yet with animation glowing in every feature1 while the poor old father's care-burdened brow proclaimed that anxious apprehension had completely usurped the hours destined to repose4 ,dr4 ,kent really began to fear he had been too violent in his measures2 at any rate1 feeling sure1 as he said to himself1 that the instrument had been wound up to the striking point1 he took his old friend by the arm1 saying he wished to speak to him in the next room on business4 ,of course ,mr4 ,lee was no sooner out of hearing of his daughter1 than he began to question his visitor with the utmost eagerness2 upon which the doctor slowly and warily proceeded to unfold his suspicions1 or rather his convictions4 ,it was curious to observe the changes passing over the countenance of the hearer as ,dr4 ,kent made this disclosure4 ,pleased surprise was evidently the first emotion excited1 but painful perplexity soon usurped its place4 ',my good friend1' said he1 as ,dr4 ,kent finished speaking1 ',i am greatly relieved to find that you think the cause of my child's illness so superficial2 but as to the remedy you propose1 believe me1 ,i cannot consent to it2 ,i do not believe it necessary4' ',believe it or not1 as you will2 ,i tell you it is necessary4' ',but ,i tell you1 ,doctor1 that my child is a part of myself1 my own flesh and blood2 and can you counsel me to become an apostate to my own principles8 ,it has been my dearest thought that ,i should one day enjoy in my own seclusion the reflected lustre of my child's brilliant position in the world1 and that that position should be by the side of one whose course in life my own ripe judgment approves entirely4 ,a man of ,mr4 ,lillburgh's principles cannot make her happy2 ,i will not believe that he can4 ,no1 ,i have always cared for my daughter's happiness2 ,i will care for it still1 by settling this matter for her as ,i best know how4 ,no2 again ,i say no2 my only child shall not be so sacrificed6' ,and ,mr4 ,lee stamped on the floor1 as if to add force to his speech4 ',when you are cool1' said ,dr4 ,kent1 looking any thing but cool himself1 ',i will remind you of your promise1 your positive promise2 there is ,mr4 ,lillburgh now approaching the house2 ask both your heart and conscience how he ought to be received4 ,good morning to you4' ,without stopping to consult either of these counsellors1 ,mr4 ,lee hastily rang the bell4 ',we are both engaged1 and cannot see the gentleman who is now coming to the door1' said he to the servant4 ,the doorbell was heard at the instant1 and the servant hastened to obey his master's directions4 ,the doctor was gone4 ,mr4 ,lee1 pacing the parlor alone1 imagined to himself all sorts of arguments to satisfy his conscience that he was in the right4 ,yet1 thought he1 my little darling must be made happy2 all young girls love trinkets and finery2 ,i will take her out with me this morning1 and she shall indulge every caprice of her pretty fancy2 pretty in every thing else but fixing itself on that ,mr4 ,lillburgh4 ',pshaw6 he shall not have her2 call ,miss here1' he continued to a servant who entered at the moment4 ,the servant returned after a few minutes1 saying that he had knocked repeatedly at her door1 but received no answer4 ,vaguely apprehensive of something wrong1 ,mr4 ,lee hastened himself to her chamber2 but how was he shocked on entering1 to find his daughter lying senseless in a swoon near an open window4 ,ah6 what voice whispered him that she had seen and heard at that window what her delicate nerves could not endure6 ,he raised her tenderly in his arms1 and having with some difficulty restored her to consciousness1 placed her on the bed4 ',good heavens6' thought he1 'can it be indeed so serious6' ,but he could not long speculate upon this subject2 ,lucy's cheek1 but just now so pale and marble-like1 soon began to glow with fever2 her pulse1 but just restored to action1 now told with momently increasing hurry that illness had seized the delicate frame2 the sudden revulsion from new-born hope to despair had been too much for it4 ,poor ,mr4 ,lee6 what did his heart say now8 ,did it yet upbraid him8 ,dr4 ,kent1 who had set out on a course of visits1 could not at once be found1 and the wretched father sat gazing in agonizing helplessness on his suffering child until the decline of the day4 ,what would he have given to live over again the last few hours6 ,at length the physician appeared3 ',now1' said he1 on accosting ,mr4 ,lee1 'do you think ,i know my own business or not8 ,do ,i make mountains of mole-hills or not8 ,i knew what ,i was about1 didn't ,i8' ',alas1 yes6' replied the other1 in a self-accusing tone1 'and ,i did not2 but oh6 merciful ,providence6 is it too late now8' ',too late8 ,heaven knows1 poor young lady6 she'd have been better off if she'd been an ugly twelfth daughter1 with no one to trouble themselves much about her1 instead of a beautiful darling1 that must have one particular sort of happiness and no other4' ',spare me6 spare me1 my friend6' implored ,mr4 ,lee4 ',i wish you had spared yourself1' grumbled ,dr4 ,kent4 ,the ,doctor was1 it must be allowed1 a little rough2 but he had been so thoroughly annoyed1 after having1 as he thought1 with unparalleled cunning and discretion detected the difficulty and provided a remedy1 to find his plans thwarted by an obstinate wilfulness1 that he could not help boiling over a little3 his kind feelings however soon got the ascendency2 the deep contrition of the poor father touched his heart1 and the lovely girl who had only increased his interest in her by making good his words1 received from him the most attentive care2 nor could he doubt that at length his advice was appreciated1 when he heard ,mr4 ,lee take every opportunity of mentioning ,mr4 ,lillburgh's name with approbation and kindness1 always regretting that he had made such a mistake as to send him away the last time he had called at the house4 ,but who may venture to choose their own time for showing kindness8 ,who may1 having refused to 'do good when it was in the power of his hand to do it1' resume at will the precious privilege8 ,dr4 ,kent1 satisfied with his friend's repentance1 was willing to take any step which might avail to retrieve the mischief2 but when this last would have lured back by civilities the repulsed lover1 he was found to have left home the very day after his mortifying dismissal4 ,let those who only by looking back can see the road by which misery might have been escaped1 while before the vista seems quite closed up1 conceive the deep and agonizing perplexity of the anxious father4 ,his daughter1 comforted no doubt by his frequent recurrence to the subject near her heart1 and the manner in which he treated it1 slowly raised her drooping head2 but he1 7the entire amende being still out of his power7 hung over her night and day1 oppressed by a constant sensation of guilt1 scarcely aware of her partial restoration4 ,for some days this ordeal lasted2 there seemed a risk that the lover might in the bitterness of his disappointment prolong his stay indefinitely2 what availed it then that the prejudice and ambition which had exiled him were now annihilated8 ,the eagerly coveted-prize for which he would have sacrificed his daughter's peace1 had turned to ashes in his grasp4 ,but the door to returning happiness was not completely closed4 ,dr4 ,kent's skill1 aided no doubt by ,lucy's young confidence in her lover's steadfastness1 kept danger at bay1 until one of those opportune accidents of life1 which like many of the best things in it look threateningly until time takes off the veil1 occurred in the shape of a fire on the premises of the wanderer2 which news1 forcing him to return1 the indefatigable ,dr4 ,kent at once offered to divert his mind from this untoward circumstance1 by taking him to join the family dinner of his friend ,mr4 ,lee4 ,the sequel may be imagined2 on the strength of this friendly invitation1 aided no doubt by sundry blushes and smiles on ,lucy's part1 ,mr4 ,lillburgh ventured to resume his visits1 and ,lucy's cheek always looked so particularly rosy on such occasions1 that ,mr4 ,lee soon became too entirely happy in the result1 to cavil any longer at the cause of her renovated health and spirits4 ,sometimes1 also1 memory would recall for an instant that terrible period of anxiety1 and then he would treat ,mr4 ,lillburgh with such pointed cordiality1 that before very long that young gentleman was emboldened to take advantage of his civility1 and make some disclosure of his own plans for the fair ,lucy's happiness1 according to the liberty of speech young gentlemen generally allow themselves when desirous of securing their own4 ,mr4 ,lee had gone too far to recede1 and he soon found himself reduced to the necessity of resting all his hopes for the gratification of his favorite fancies and prejudices upon the anticipated course through life of another generation1 whose future being happily so distant1 promised him a long period of hope4 ,,the ,,fratricide',s ,,death4 ,a ,,rhapsody4 ,the following effort of a wild and maddened imagination1 rioting in its own unreal world1 is by the ',,american ,,opium-,,eater1' whose remarkable history was given in the ,,knickerbocker for ,july1 #ahdb4 ,the ,,ms4 is stained in several places with the powerful drug1 to the abuse of which the writer was so irresistibly addicted4 ,the subjoined remarks precede the poem3 ',this extravaganza is worthy of preservation only as 'a psychological curiosity1' like ,,coleridge's ',kubla ,khan1' which was composed under similar circumstances2 if that indeed can be called composition1 in which all the images rose up before the writer as ,,things1 with a parallel production of the correspondent expressions1 without any sensation or consciousness of effort4 ,on awaking1 he appeared to have a distinct recollection of the whole3 taking his pen1 ink and paper1 he instantly and eagerly wrote down the lines that are here preserved4 ,the state of corporeal sleep but intellectual activity1 during the continuance of which the phenomenon above described occurred1 was caused by a very large dose of opium1 and came upon me while reading the ',confession of a ,fratricide1' published by the priest who attended him in his last moments4 ,i should warn the reader that the fratricide1 like the author1 could not be said to possess the 'mens sana in corpore sano1' both having been deranged4' ,,ed4 ,,knickerbocker4 ,the universe shook as the monarch passed ,on the way to his northern throne2 ,his robe of snow around him he cast1 ,he rode on the wings of the roaring blast1 ,and beneath him dark clouds were blown4 ,his furrow'd and hoary brow was wreathed ,with a crown of diamond frost2 ,even space was chill'd wherever he breathed1 ,and the last faint smiles which summer bequeathed1 ,ere she left the world1 were lost4 ,the leaves which wan ,autumn's breath had seared ,stern ,winter swept away2 ,dark and dreary all earth appeared-- ,the very beams of the bright sun feared ,to pursue their accustom'd way4 ,mirth's merry laugh at that moment fled1 ,and ,pleasure's fair cheek grew pale3 ,the living sat like the stony dead1 ,the rough torrent froze in its craggy bed1 ,and ,heaven's dew turned to hail4 ,the forest trees waved their heads on high1 ,and shrunk from the storm's fierce stroke2 ,the lightning flash'd as from ,,god',s own eye1 ,the thunderbolt crash'd through the startled sky1 ,as it split the defying oak4 ,the proud lion trembled and hush'd his roar1 ,the tigress crouch'd in fear2 ,the angry sea beat the shuddering shore1 ,and the deafening voice of the elements' war ,burst terribly on the ear4 ,i stood by the bed where the prisoner lay2 ,the lamp gave a fitful light3 ,his soul was struggling to pass away2 ,oh1 ,,god6 how ,i pray'd for the coming of day6 ,death was awful in such a night4 ,his cheek was hollow1 and sunk1 and wan1 ,and his lips were thin and blue2 ,the unearthly look of that dying man1 ,as his tale of horror he thus began1 ,sent a chill my warm heart through3 ',the plague-spots of crime have sunk deep in my heart1 ,and withered my whirling brain2 ,the deep stamp of murder could never depart ,from this brow1 where the ,angel of ,death's fiery dart ,had graven the curse of ,,cain4 ',remorse has oft waved his dusky wings ,o'er the path ,i was doom'd to tread2 ,despair has long frozen ,hope's warm springs2 ,i have felt the soul's madness which ,memory brings1 ,when she wakes up the murder'd dead4 ',tell me not now of ,,god',s mercy or love6 ,all hope of pardon is past3 ,a brother's blood cries for vengeance above2 ,this brand on my brow will my foul crime prove-- ,my torment for ever must last6 ',thou needst not tremble2 this arm is bound1 ,and its iron strength is gone2 ,despair came down in the hollow sound ,of my fetters1 which clank'd on the loathing ground ,where my wearied limbs ,i had thrown4 ',i snatched the knife from my jailor's side ,and buried it in my breast1 ,but they cruelly staunched the gushing tide1 ,and closed the wound1 though 'twas deep and wide1 ,and still ,i might not rest6 ',day after day ,i had gnawed my chain1 ,till ,i sharpened the stubborn link2 ,but when ,i had pierced the swollen vein1 ,and was writhing in death's last dreadful pain1 ,while just on eternity's brink3 ',even then the leech's skill prevailed2 ,i was saved for a darker fate6 ,my very guards 'neath my stern glance quailed1 ,and with their cloaks their faces veiled ,as they passed the fast-barred grate4 ',i ,,loved6 ,thou know'st not half the power ,of woman's love-lit eye2 ,her voice can soothe death's gloomy hour1 ,her smiles dispel the clouds which lower ,when ,affliction's sea rolls high4 ',my heart seemed cold as the frozen snow ,which binds dark tna's form1 ,but ,love raged there with the lava's flow1 ,and madden'd my soul with the scorching glow ,of strong passion's thunder-storm4' ',i told my love3 ,o ,,god6 even still ,i hear the ,tempter's voice1 ,which whispered the thought in my mind1 to fill ,my page of crime with a deed of ill ,that made all hell rejoice4 ',i knelt at her feet1 and my proud heart burn'd ,when she spoke of my brother's love2 ,affection's warmth to deep hate was turn'd2 ,his proffered hand in my wrath ,i spurn'd-- ,not all his prayers could move4 ',at dead of night to his room ,i crept1 ,as noiseless as the grave2 ,disturbed in his dreams1 my brother wept1 ,and softly murmur'd her name while he slept2 ,that word new fury gave6 ',the sound from his lip had scarcely passed1 ,when my dagger pierced his heart3 ,one dying look on me he cast-- ,that awful look in my soul will last ,when body and soul shall part6 ',when the deed was done1 in horror ,i gazed ,on the face of the murder'd dead2 ,his dark and brilliant eye was glazed3 ,when ,i thought for a moment his arm he raised1 ,i hid my face in the bed4 ',i could not move from the spot where ,i stood2 ,a chilliness froze my mind3 ,my clothes were dyed with my brother's blood1 ,the body lay in a crimson flood1 ,which clotted his hair behind6 ',and over my heart that moment pass'd ,a vision of former years1 ,ere sin upon my soul had cast ,it's withering blight1 it's poison-blast1 ,it's cloud of guilty fears4 ',the home where our youth's first hours flew by1 ,in its beauty before me rose2 ,the holy love of our mother's eye1 ,our childhood's pure and cloudless sky ,and its light and fleeting woes4 ',when our hearts in strong affection's chain ,were so closely1 fondly tied1 ,that our thoughts and feelings1 pleasure and pain1 ,were one3 why did we not remain ,through life thus side by side8 ',and my brother's gentle voice then fell ,upon my tortured ear2 ,those tones ,i once had loved so well1 ,now wither'd my soul like a flame from hell ,with vain remorse and fear6 ',all1 all that memory still had kept ,in her hidden and silent reign1 ,my youth's warm feelings1 which long had slept1 ,like a torrent of fire that moment swept ,in madness o'er my brain4 ',for before me there his pallid face ,in death's cold stillness lay2 ,even murder could not all efface ,its beauty1 whose sad and shadowy trace ,still lingered round that clay4 ',sternly ,i bent me over the dead1 ,and strove my breast to steel1 ,when the dagger from hilt to point blood-red1 ,flash'd on my sight1 and ,i madly fled1 ,the torture of life to feel4 ',since that dread hour o'er half the earth ,my weary path has lain2 ,i have stood where the mighty ,nile has birth1 ,where ,ganges rolls his blue waves forth ,in triumph to the main4 ',in the silent forest's gloomy shade ,i have vainly sought for rest2 ,my sunless dwelling ,i have made ,where the hungry tiger nightly stray'd1 ,and the serpent found a nest4 ',but still1 where'er ,i turn'd1 there lay ,my brother's lifeless form2 ,when ,i watched the cataract's giant play ,as it flung to the sky its foaming spray1 ,when ,i stood 'midst the rushing storm3 ',still1 still that awful face was shown1 ,that dead and soulless eye2 ,the breeze's soft and soothing tone ,to me still seemed his parting groan-- ,a sound ,i could not fly6 ',in the fearful silence of the night ,still by my couch he stood1 ,and when morn came forth in splendor bright1 ,still there1 between me and the light1 ,was traced that scene of blood6' 99 99 99 99 99 ,he paused3 ,death's icy hand was laid ,upon his burning brow2 ,that eye1 whose fiery glance had made ,his sternest guards shrink back afraid1 ,was glazed and sightless now4 ,and o'er his face the grave's dark hue ,was in fixed shadow cast2 ,his spasm-drawn lips more fearful grew ,in the ghastly shade of their lurid blue2 ,with a shudder that ran that cold form through1 ,the murderer's spirit passed6 ,,sicilian ,,scenery ,,and ,,antiquities4 ,,number ,,two4 ,we proceed1 in another and concluding paper1 as promised in the last number of the ,,knickerbocker1 to direct the reader's attention to the ,architectural ,antiquities of ,sicily1 especially those of ,grecian structure1 which will be described in the order in which they were visited4 ,the first are those of ,egesta1 or ,segeste1 as it is sometimes called2 a city said to have been built in the remote age of the ,siculi1 and which was destroyed by ,agathocles1 the potter's son1 who reduced all ,sicily two hundred and eighty years before the ,christian era4 ,it lies about forty or fifty miles from ,palermo1 among the mountains which cluster round the famed ,mount ,erix1 on which once stood a temple dedicated to ,venus4 ,on leaving ,alcamo1 which may be called a city of convents1 midway between ,palermo and ,segeste1 the broad slopes of an ample valley lie before the traveller1 which though almost treeless1 are waving with beans1 and grain and grass4 ,in the depth1 is a river meandering among fragrant oleanders2 on the left1 the valley is intersected by a range of distant mountains2 on the right is a beautiful bay of the ,mediterranean4 ,across the valley the mountains form a green amphitheatre1 and high in its remotest part is seen the ,temple of ,segeste1 but merely as a point of light and shade upon the bosom of the mountain4 ,the next view1 if he takes our route1 is from the ancient ,grecian city of ,catafimi1 itself perched on a mountain's top4 ,he looks down a deep luxuriant vale1 and on a grassy knoll about three miles distant1 lifted from the depths of the valley by precipitous crags1 stands the solitary temple2 and if seen as we saw it1 receiving the last golden rays of the setting sun while all below is wrapped in shade4 ,the next day1 would he visit the temple1 his road lies through the valley of which ,i have last spoken4 ,and surely he never passed through such an ,arcadian scene as this4 ,almond and orange trees fill the air with fragrance2 his path struggles through the tangled flowers1 the cistus and the blue convolvulus1 and he disturbs the nightingale in her pleasant haunt4 ,at length1 emerging from the valley1 and climbing the steep side of a mountain1 he stands before the temple4 ,it is a majestic pile1 about two hundred feet in length and eighty-eight in breadth1 having fourteen columns on each side and six at each end1 in all thirty-six columns1 of about six feet in diameter2 not fluted1 as is usual in ,grecian ,doric temples1 but having a very peculiar form4 ,it stands on a platform raised on three gigantic steps4 ,all the columns are standing2 the entablatures and pediments are in pretty good preservation1 but it is roofless1 and flowers and weeds are now waving where once trode the white-robed priests4 ,the breezes from the fragrant mountains and the distant sea1 of which it commands a fine view1 sigh through it in harmony with its sad and solitary grandeur4 ,on a neighboring hill are the vestiges of the ancient city1 a few ruined towers1 probably of the citadel1 and a theatre1 the stone seats of which are almost entire2 part of the sculptured figure of a faun still remains on the proscenium2 wild shrubs shade a great part of the ruin1 and where manhood and beauty once sat1 listening to the tragedies of an ,eschylus or ,euripides1 the adder and the lizards sun themselves4 ,the next ruins we visited were those of ,selinunte1 anciently ,selinus or ,selinuntium1 which lies on the southern coast of the island4 ,this city was founded by a colony of ,greeks about twenty-five hundred years ago4 ,it was taken during the ,carthaginian wars1 and in a great measure destroyed by ,hannibal the son of ,giscon1 four hundred and nine years before ,,christ4 ,the country on approaching ,selinunte is a dreary plain covered with the palmetto4 ,on gazing toward the sea1 when distant two or three miles1 the traveller's eye catches what he would take for a rocky hill1 were it not for a few mutilated columns which rise above the blue horizon4 ,as he approaches1 the stupendous scene of ruin strikes him with awe4 ,there in a mighty heap lie column and capital1 metope and cornice2 and the mind is lost in wonder at the power that raised these giant structures1 and the power that overthrew them4 ,only one complete column1 and that without its capital1 and several mutilated ones1 remain standing of the great temple supposed to be of ,neptune2 the rest are prostrate2 and all lying in one direction1 bear evidence that they have been thrown down by an earthquake4 ,the first temple is ,grecian ,doric1 as are all those of which ,i shall speak4 ,its columns are about eleven feet across1 and they must have been1 including their capitals1 more than sixty feet high4 ,above these lofty columns was placed the architrave1 one of the stones of which1 that we measured1 was twenty-five feet in length1 eight in height1 and six in thickness2 but another is still larger2 forty feet long1 seven broad1 and three deep4 ,to transport these enormous masses of stone from their quarry1 which is several miles distant1 with a deep valley and river intervening1 would trouble the modern engineer2 but to poise and place them on the top of the columns1 seventy feet from the ground1 with our mechanical means1 were indeed a great feat4 ,the columns were not of single pieces1 but composed of several1 and they now lie1 to use an unpoetical phrase1 like rows of enormous cheeses4 ,the great temple was three hundred and thirty-four feet long1 one hundred and fifty-four wide2 its porticoes at each end were four columns in depth1 eight in width2 a double row on the sides of the cella or interior edifice1 which in all ,grecian temples was the sanctum sanctorum4 ,in all1 there must have been eighty columns4 ,there is one remarkable feature about this temple1 which is1 that none of the columns were fluted except those of the eastern end4 ,about thirty paces from this ruin1 which the ,sicilians call the ,pileri di ,giganti1 or ,pillars of the ,giants1 are the remains of another temple which was about two hundred feet long3 its entablature was supported by thirty-six fluted columns of seven feet in diameter and thirty-five feet long1 each of a single piece of stone4 ,only a few fragments of the columns remain standing in their places4 ,treading another thirty paces1 you come to a temple which is of rather larger dimensions than the one last mentioned4 ,the columns of this were also fluted1 but no part of the edifice is standing1 except a solitary pilaster1 which was probably a portion of the cella4 ,these temples were built of a hard but porous stone1 of a light color1 and were probably covered with a thin coat of cement4 ,they command an extensive view both of sea and land1 and in their primal days must1 with their tower-like columns1 their sculptured entablatures and pediments1 have risen above the scene in majestic grandeur4 ,three quarters of a mile from these temples was the ancient port1 now choked with sand1 and near it are the remains of edifices supposed to have been the magazines4 ,on an adjoining hill are remnants of three temples and two towers1 in almost undistinguishable ruin4 ,we left ,selinunte with a lasting but melancholy impression1 and were reminded of the lines3 ',two or three columns and many a stone1 ,marble and granite1 with grass o'ergrown3 99 99 99 99 99 ,remnants of things which have passed away1 ,fragments of stone rear'd by creatures of clay6' ,girgenti1 anciently called ,agragas and ,agrigentum1 is situated on the southern coast of ,sicily1 in a delicious country2 the modern city was built by the ,saracens on the summit of a hill upward of eleven hundred feet above the level of the sea4 ,the site of the ancient city is lower1 and about a mile distant4 ,it was probably founded in the eighth century before ,,christ4 ,in its flourishing state it contained two hundred thousand inhabitants1 who were celebrated for their hospitality1 their love of the arts and luxurious style of living4 ,plato was so much struck with the solidity of their buildings and the sumptuousness of their dinners1 that he said they 'built as though they thought themselves immortal1 but ate as though they never expected to eat again4' ,the horses of ,agrigentum were celebrated2 and one of the citizens returning from the ,olympic games1 on entering his native town1 was followed by three hundred chariots1 each drawn by four white horses sumptuously caparisoned4 ,the government of this little state1 whose inhabitants never amounted to more than eight hundred thousand1 was at first monarchical1 afterward democratic2 but neither the forms of its institutions1 nor its riches and grandeur1 could save it from misfortune3 it was besieged several times by the ,carthaginians1 and at length1 after a siege of three years1 was taken and sacked by ,hannibal1 the son of ,giscon4 ,in alluding to these misfortunes1 the historian says3 ',yet of all the ,sicilian cities1 the fate of ,agrigentum seemed the most worthy to be deplored1 from the striking contrast of its fallen state with its recent splendor and prosperity4 ,the natural beauties of ,agrigentum were secured by strength and adorned with elegance2 and whoever considered either the innumerable advantages of the city itself1 or the gay cultivation of the surrounding territory1 which abounded in every luxury of the sea and land1 was ready to pronounce the ,agrigentines the most favored inhabitants of the earth4 ,the exuberant fertility of the soil1 particularly the rich luxuriance of the vines and olives1 exceeded every thing that is related of the happiest climates1 and furnished the means of lucrative commerce with the populous coast of ,africa1 which was sparingly provided with those valuable plants4 ,the extraordinary wealth of the ,agrigentines was displayed in the magnificence of public edifices and in the splendid enjoyment of private fortunes4 ,they had begun and almost completed the celebrated ,temple of ,jupiter1 built in the grandest style of architecture1 employed by the ,greeks on the greatest and most solemn occasions4' ,the ancient city of ,agragas stood on an elevated platform or table of land1 three sides of which fell off in steep precipices2 the fourth side was surmounted by the lofty hill on which the modern city stands4 ,these steep precipices were the natural walls of the city1 and were made more available for defence by excavation on the inside1 so as to leave a solid wall of rock rising round the city4 ,on the verge of this platform1 which gradually sinks from east to west1 and on the side next the sea1 which is about a mile distant1 are seen the remains of no fewer than six temples4 ,they stood in a general line1 but at irregular intervals1 and must have formed one of the most magnificent spectacles that the art of man has ever presented to the eye4 ,the remains of three other temples exist1 but they lie at a distance from this grand range4 ,on the eastern and highest part of the platform1 where the natural wall of which ,i have spoken makes an angle1 stood the ,temple of ,juno ,lucina2 next came the ,temple of ,concord2 next the ,temple of ,hercules1 near which was the ,temple of ,jupiter1 called of the ,giants2 next came the ,temple of ,venus1 and lastly that of ,castor and ,pollux4 ,the approach to the ruins of these temples from the modern city is over the site of the ancient1 now shaded by olive1 almond1 and carruba trees4 ,the ,temple of ,juno is a picturesque ruin2 all the columns on the northern side are standing1 also several at the ends1 and part of the entablature2 the rest of the building1 corroded by time or entirely prostrate1 lies under an exuberant growth of flowers and shrubs4 ,descending from this temple1 we pass through a sort of wild garden1 with here and there an olive-tree or dark carruba2 on the left are the ruins of the ancient rock-wall1 huge fragments of which in places have fallen down the precipice2 other parts are perforated as with windows or loop-holes1 or with deep cell-like excavations3 these are the tombs of the ancient ,agrigentines1 now tenantless and void4 ,those window-like apertures were evidently made so by the action of the elements or the violence of man2 and it is related that in consequence of the ,agrigentines having made their tombs in the walls1 they were so much weakened that the ,carthaginians by means of their engines were enabled to batter them down and obtain an entrance4 ,we now come to the ,temple of ,concord1 one of the most beautiful specimens of ,grecian ,doric in existence4 ,it is roofless1 but otherwise almost perfect4 ,it has twenty-four columns2 it is1 like the temple of ,juno1 raised on a platform of several steps1 and about one hundred and fifty-four feet in length and fifty-five in breadth4 ,it seems that this temple was used in times past for a ,christian church1 and the sides of its cella are perforated by arched openings4 ,the next temple is near one of the ancient city gates1 and is supposed to have been dedicated to ,hercules3 it was celebrated in ancient times for having in it a fine picture of ,alcmena2 but it is now a confused heap of ruin1 with only one column standing1 which proves it to have been of larger dimensions than the temples just mentioned4 ,turning a little to the right1 we come upon the ,temple of ,jupiter ,olympius1 commonly called of the ,giants1 the largest sacred edifice in ,sicily1 and one of the most stupendous works of the ancients4 ,it was in length three hundred and sixty-eight feet1 in breadth one hundred and eighty2 the breadth or diameter of its columns at the base thirteen feet four inches2 the height of the columns must have been seventy-five feet2 above these rose a massive entablature1 and the top of the pediments could not have been less than one hundred and twenty feet high6 ,the grandeur of the door and vestibule corresponded to the simple majesty of the whole building1 whose sculptured ornaments represented1 with the finished elegance and laborious accuracy that distinguished each particular figure1 the ',defeat of the ,giants and the ,taking of ,troy4' ,in the interior ranged twenty-four ant1 or square pillars1 of fifty feet in height2 on the top of each was a sculptured giant twenty-seven feet in height1 which with his hands clasped over his head supported the lofty roof4 ,one can scarcely conceive any thing more noble and majestic than this wonderful edifice1 in comparison with which1 though covering much more ground1 ,st4 ,peter's in ,rome is a splendid gew-gaw4 ,but what remains of this great temple8 ,a wide heap of ruin2 the interior of which1 the columns and walls having fallen outward1 is a flowery field1 in which lie some fragments of those huge giants that once supported the roof4 ,one of these is tolerably entire3 the curls of his hair form a sort of garland3 it lies with its face upward1 and when ,i stood by it1 my own head scarcely reached as high as the brow of the statue4 ,it is composed of several pieces of stone1 as are the columns of this temple1 and most of the others of ,agrigentum4 ,on every side of this elevated field lie the walls1 entablatures1 and columns in enormous fragments3 the capitals of the columns look like huge rocks that have been hurled there by some violent convulsion of nature4 ,a short distance from this temple are the ruins of the ,temple of ,venus1 and another of ,castor and ,pollux1 of which two of the columns and part of the entablature are entire1 and the thin coat of cement or stucco which covered them is in some parts as perfect as ever4 ,the stone of which the temples were constructed is of a very porous nature1 a sort of tufa1 full of sea-shells1 and when seen in the sunlight1 of a golden hue2 but they were all covered with stucco1 which1 judging from what remains1 was nearly as hard as porcelain1 and gave a beautiful and finished appearance to the otherwise rude material4 ,of the other remains in ,agrigentum1 the limits of this article will not allow me to speak4 ,but the reader would ask1 how came these temples in such a state of ruin8 ,on this subject there has been some dispute2 but their destruction may most reasonably be attributed to a mightier agency than man's4 ,earthquake has shattered these gorgeous temples2 the time when is not recorded4 ,i am inclined to believe that they were destroyed1 as well as those of ,selinus1 by the dreadful earthquakes that shook ,italy and ,sicily in the dark age of ,valens and ,valentinian1 three hundred and sixty-five years after ,,christ4 ,let us now proceed to ,syracuse1 once the capital of ,sicily1 and the birth-place of the great ,archimedes4 ,it was founded by ,archias1 one of the ,heraclid1 more than seven hundred years before the ,christian era1 and according to some authors contained within its walls at one time1 one million two hundred thousand inhabitants2 could maintain an army of one hundred thousand foot1 ten thousand horse1 with a navy of five hundred armed vessels4 ,little now remains of a place once so populous and so powerful1 save the shrunken modern city of ,syracusa1 containing about nine thousand inhabitants1 and a few almost unintelligible ruins scattered among vineyards1 olive-groves1 and fields of corn1 or over the high wastes of the barren ,epipole1 on the summit of which the curious will find ruined walls and fortresses of massive and beautiful masonry4 ,from these the eye commands the whole site of the ancient city4 ,there lies1 at the distance of three miles1 the small island of ,ortygia1 on which is the modern town2 on its right is the narrow entrance from the sea1 which lies beyond1 to the greater harbor1 that appears like a beautiful lake1 and is about two miles long and one and a half broad4 ,on the left of the island of ,ortygia is all that remains of the lesser port of ,syracuse4 ,on this side the island is connected with the main land by means of a draw-bridge4 ,in ,ortygia is the famous fountain of ,arethusa3 the spring is yet clear and copious2 but the only nymphs ,i was fortunate enough to see were engaged in the necessary vocation of cleansing the soiled linen of ,syracusa4 ,the remains of a beautiful temple of ,minerva form a part of the cathedral church4 ,near the small river ,anapus are two columns1 the remnants of a temple of ,jupiter1 which once contained a statue of that god1 wearing a robe of gold2 but ,dionysius the tyrant stripped it off1 saying 'it was too cold for winter and too hot for summer4' ,among the seats of a noble theatre now stands a mill1 that is supplied with water diverted from an ancient aqueduct close by3 a strange metamorphosis indeed6 ,this aqueduct conveys the water thirty miles4 ,it may have been of ,greek construction originally1 but that part of it which ,i have seen is evidently ,saracenic4 ,the rocky site of ,syracuse is in many parts perforated with tombs2 the roads are literally honey-combed with them4 ,there is a street excavated in the limestone rock which on either side is full of cells1 and it may indeed be said of ,syracuse that it is a great burying-ground4 ,the oranges1 vines1 and figs of ,syracuse are still flourishing1 and the earth yet yields its hundred fold2 but its glory is departed1 and the traveller looks in vain for satisfactory vestiges of that mighty city4 ,there are many other interesting remains of antiquity in ,sicily1 but ,i must hasten to a conclusion4 ,i trust the reader will have found the subject of this article interesting1 although treated briefly and imperfectly4 ,the traveller is unworthy of his privilege1 and forgetful of duty if he extracts not from the scenes described some moral lesson or religious truth4 ,the reader has accompanied me in imagination through classic ,sicily4 ,he has seen the lonely temple of ,segeste1 standing among the mountains like a widowed thing1 mourning in silence the departed4 ,where is the multitude that once thronged around its walls8 ,mount ,erix still battles with the clouds1 as in the days of ,agathocles4 ,he has clambered with me among the prostrate columns of ,selinunte3 once1 from beneath those massive porticoes1 the ,selinuntine1 in the pride of his heart1 looked upon the crowded port and distant mountains as we look on the ,hudson1 with its white sails and swift steamers1 and the neighboring hills4 ,where and what are they8 ,the distant mountains stand1 but the great works which he erected to be a living honor to his name and country1 are perished forever4 ,he has lingered with me among the ruins of the splendid ,agrigentum4 ,its numerous temples are dilapidated1 or crumbling on the earth2 its walls1 once its vaunted strength1 are strewed in shattered fragments on the steeps around4 ,the dust of its multitudes serves to fertilize the soil of its ancient site6 ,but the stream still flows which gave its name to the city1 and the hills around yet produce the oil1 the wine1 and the grain4 ,we have sojourned for a time among the melancholy vestiges of ,syracuse2 the scene of battles far more bloody than this land has ever known4 ,the army which the ,athenians1 inflated with pride and presumption1 sent against ,syracuse1 was here defeated4 ,in yonder land-locked bay the ,athenian fleet1 the mightiest that republic had ever sent forth1 and which they believed invincible1 was destroyed4 ,and the ,roman orator has eloquently said1 that not only the navy of ,athens1 but the glory and the empire of that republic1 suffered shipwreck in the fatal harbor of ,syracuse4 ,it was there the wonderful mechanical skill of ,archimedes was displayed against the ,roman fleet1 and those quiet waters have been strewed with the dying and the dead4 ,from this deserted citadel1 called of ',labdalus1' the eye embraces the whole site of the once populous ,syracuse2 and what does it behold8 ,on the distant island of ,ortygia1 an insignificant town1 with a few small craft at anchor in the bay2 nearer1 a desert of rocky hills1 a goat-herd1 and a few straggling goats4 ,turning away from the melancholy scene1 we behold afar off the snow-clad tna4 ,what a contrast is this to what we have just reviewed in the mind's eye6 ,that is the work of ,god6 ,since its huge pyramid arose1 nation after nation has possessed its fertile slopes4 ,the ,siculi have labored on its sides2 the ,greek1 the ,carthaginian and the ,roman2 the ,norman and the ,saracen have struggled for mastery at its foot2 but the roar of the battle is past2 the chariot and the charioteer are mingled in the dust4 ,yet yon earth-born giant1 fed by continual fires1 each century augments1 and in all probability will continue to do so until ',the cloud-capt towers1 the gorgeous palaces1 ,the solemn temples1 yea the great globe itself ,shall dissolve1 and like the baseless fabric ,of a vision1 leave not a wreck behind6' ,may we not in these things read deep lessons applicable to ourselves8 ,the history of the people whose noble works ,i have endeavored to describe1 should in the first place teach us how noble a thing it is to construct works of beauty and utility1 not only for our own gratification1 but for the benefit of posterity also4 ,the selfish and unreflecting1 even the modern utilitarian1 will perhaps laugh at the thought1 and say3 ',what folly to undertake such labors for the benefit of posterity6 ,we will labor for ourselves4' ,i would ask such persons1 what would have been our state if the ancients had entertained such grovelling notions8 ,do they not know that most of the elegant as well as the useful1 is the rich bequest of these ancients whom they affect to despise8 ,there is not in the whole city of ,new-,york a house1 however lowly1 but in some part of it ,i could point out a moulding or an ornament that comes from the ancients4 ,but there are other points of view perhaps of higher consequence4 ,their temples were erected to the gods2 mistaken as they were in their religious notions1 we ,christians may be put to shame by the devotion of the pagan4 ,not to man were their temples erected4 ,man enjoyed their beauty2 gazed with admiration on their exquisite forms1 and lingered under their shady porticoes2 but the eye of the god to whom each temple was dedicated was supposed to be on the work1 and the aim of the builders was perfection in every part2 and even that which the eye of the multitude never rested on1 was finished with elaborate care4 ,i would ask1 is there such a lofty feeling among us8 ,are we willing to expend toil and cost on that which will never gratify our senses8 ,you will answer no4 ,is not this then a lesson to us8 ,another view of the matter3 ,these works of art were the objects of veneration and love2 city vied with city in their construction2 it was a noble emulation--think you not nobler than the competition for sordid gold8 ,the citizen gazed with pride upon the marble triumphs of his native place2 he loved it more than ever1 and felt his patriotism kindle as he gazed4 ,let us not think that rail-roads and canals are the only works worthy of modern civilization4 ,if we look to intents1 7and what ought we to look at87 ,i doubt much but the ancients rose superior to us4 ,we are in the enjoyment of many advantages of which they knew nothing4 ,the wonder-working press was unknown to them2 and above all1 the beautiful light of ,christianity had not been shed on the world4 ,we have the broad day2 they wrought in the twilight gloom4 ,what majestic monuments of art6 what enduring legacies of beauty6 what objects to make a man love his country more and more1 could have been erected with the means expended a few years ago in reckless speculations6 ,instead of turning with melancholy loathing to those broken bubbles on which the hopes and fortunes of many of us were suspended1 we could at least look with admiration on the marble pile1 and exclaim1 ',i also can be proud of the genius and taste of my country6' ,another lesson we may learn from the fate of ancient states3 it is to beware of presumptuous pride and overweening conceit3 these are the result of inconsiderate ignorance4 ,it was through presumptuous pride that ,athens fell1 as ,i have before intimated4 ,we have reason to fear there are many1 some unconscious of the injury they do1 and perhaps with just intentions1 who feed this appetite for undue praise4 ,others1 for mere popularity or the applause of the day1 minister with adroitness the sweet though poisonous morsel for which our vanity and self-love are open-mouthed2 which 7to carry on the simile17 puffs us up with the comfortable notion that we are superior in every respect to all other nations1 ancient or modern4 ,it would be well to turn a deaf ear to this syren's song3 let us learn if possible to know ourselves2 let us remember that there is no perfection1 either in men or their institutions2 and by avoiding a vain and presumptuous spirit1 and scanning with a careful eye the causes of the greatness which under ,providence we possess1 we shall be most likely to approach the perfection which we all desire4 ,we can have little doubt that the ,agrigentine considered the institutions of his country as perfect as we do ours2 and the citizens of greater states1 ,athens1 even ,rome itself1 indulged in the same pleasing thought4 ,our only means of judging of the future is the past4 ,we see that nations have sprung from obscurity1 risen to glory1 and decayed4 ,their rise has in general been marked by virtue2 their decadence by vice1 vanity1 and licentiousness4 ,let us beware6 ,i would not have the reader censure me for commencing this article as a traveller and ending it with an attempt to moralize4 ,in reviewing in my mind the interesting scenes ,i have endeavored to describe1 ,i have been led back to the thoughts that arose when ,i trode among the ruins of prostrate temples1 and they were connected in my mind2 and ,i will venture again to say1 that he is unworthy of the privilege of travelling who gleans not from the fields he visits some moral lesson or religious truth4 ,t4 ,c4 ,,stanzas4 ,,written ,,at ,,beverly1 ,,massachusetts4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,william ,b4 ,,tappan4 ,i4 ,in ,beverly1 the building ,i sought the other day1 ,where forty years ago my sire his infant gave away2 ,i sought it1 for ,i coveted where he had placed his foot1 ,my honored1 sainted father6 mine in filial love to put4 ,,ii4 ,i entered it3 most holy appeared the house of prayer2 ,yet more than common holiness its beauty seemed to wear2 ,for there the waters bathed me1 and solemn words were said1 ,and ,father1 ,son1 and ,paraclete invoked above my head4 ,,iii4 ,of all the congregation who looked in reverence on1 ,the elders and the blooming youth1 each worshipper was gone2 ,and he1 with hairs of winter1 whose office 'twas to lave ,my baby brow1 and name my name1 was hidden in the grave6 ,,iv4 ,what years have passed of sorrow1 that hour and this between6 ,what moments of enjoyment in that interval ,i've seen6 ,i wept that ,i had measured the half of being's track2 ,i smiled that worlds were poor to bribe the weary pilgrim back4 ,v4 ,i sighed that in the journey where blessings are so few ,for even the most favored1 ,i but scanty portion knew2 ,and chiefly in the season of confidence and pride1 ,my youth was forced the dangerous way1 without my earthly guide4 ,,vi4 ,where is my sainted father1 who took me in his arms1 ,and held me to the minister1 and kissed away alarms8 ,i feel his presence near me6 he blesses me once more6 ,ay1 where he gave me up to ,,god1 just forty years before6 ,,the ,,quod ,,correspondence4 ,harry ,harson4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,it was not the failure of his plans1 nor the dread of detection1 which broke ,rust down4 ,he had been prepared for that1 and had nerved himself to meet it2 but it was a blow coming from a quarter where he had not dreamed of harm1 and wounding him where alone he could feel a pang1 that crushed him4 ,there was something so abject in the prostration of that iron-willed man1 who had often endured what would have wrung the very souls of other men1 without exhibiting any other feeling than contempt1 that for a moment awed even the hard man who had struck the blow4 ,in proportion as ,rust's control over his emotions had been great1 so now the rection was terrible4 ,he seemed paralyzed in body and mind4 ,no cry escaped him1 but his breath rattled as he drew it2 his long hair hung loosely over his face1 and upon the floor2 his eyes were closed2 his features livid and distorted2 and but for his struggling breath1 and the spasmodic jerking of his fingers1 he seemed dead4 ',lift him up1 ,bill1' said ,grosket1 in a subdued tone4 ',it's been too much for him4 ,who'd have thought he had a heart8' ,jones smiled grimly1 as he said3 ',i'm glad you did it1 ,mr4 ,grosket4 ,it was better than murdering him4 ,he wasn't afeard of dying4 ,is it a fit he's got8' ,without waiting for a reply1 he placed his arms under him and raised him up4 ,rust lay heavily against him1 his head falling back1 and his arms dangling at his side4 ,they carried him to the bench1 and placed him on it1 ,grosket standing behind him1 and supporting his back4 ',i guess he's done for1' said ,jones1 pushing the hair from his face2 'pity it wasn't three days ago--that's all4' ',get some water1 or brandy1' said ,grosket2 ',i suppose we may as well bring him to4 ,it would be an ugly business if he should die on our hands4' ,jones stooped down1 and picking up his great coat1 commenced fumbling in its pocket1 and drew out the bottle from which he and ,craig had drank1 as they were starting on their expedition on the previous night4 ,he held it up and looked at it1 then muttered3 ',it's no use2 it's no use4' ',what are you talking about1 there8' demanded ,grosket1 impatiently3 'is it empty8' ,jones shook it4 ',no2 there's a drop or two in it4 ,d--n him6 ,i don't like his drinking out of this bottle1 ,i don't2 ,i use it myself2 and blow me1 if ,i don't think his mouth 'ud p'ison it4' ,grosket cut his scruples short by taking the bottle from him1 uncorking it1 and pouring its contents in ,rust's mouth4 ',it's a waste1' muttered ,jones1 eyeing his proceedings with a very dissatisfied look4 ',i begrudged it to poor ,tim2 and cuss him1 it's going down his gullet6 ,i hope it'll choke him4' ,grosket paid no attention to him1 but supported ,rust1 occasionally shaking him by way of stirring up his ideas4 ,either the liquor or the shakings had an effect2 for the deadly paleness gradually disappeared from ,rust's face2 his breath grew less short and gasping2 and finally he sat up1 and looked about him4 ,his eye was wandering and vacant1 and sad and heart-broken indeed was his tone4 ',my own dear child6' said he1 in a voice so mild and winning1 and so teeming with fondness1 that none would have recognized it as ,rust's4 ',i've had a strange dream1 my poor little ,mary1 about you1 whom ,i have garnered up in my heart of hearts4' ,his voice sank until his words were unintelligible1 and then he laughed feebly1 and passed his hand backward and forward in the air1 as if caressing the head of a child4 ',your eyes are very bright1 my little girl1 but they beam with happiness2 and so they shall1 always4 ,so they shall--so they shall4 ,kiss me1 my own darling6' ,he extended his arms1 and drew them toward him1 as if they enfolded the child1 and then bending down his cheek1 rocked to and fro1 and sang a song1 such as is used in lulling an infant to sleep4 ',my ,god6 ,he's clean gone mad6' said ,jones1 staring at him with starting eyes4 ',dished and done up in ten minutes6 ,that's what ,i call going to ,bedlam by express4' ,although ,grosket uttered not a word of comment1 his keen gray eye1 bright as a diamond2 his puckered brows2 his compressed lips1 and his hands tightly clasped together1 showed that he viewed his work with emotions of the most powerful kind4 ,at length he said1 in low tone1 as if communing with himself rather than addressing the only person who seemed capable of hearing him3 ',if he goes mad he'll spoil my scheme4 ,he'll not reap the whole harvest that ,i have sown for him4 ,he must live2 ay1 and in his sane mind1 to feel its full bitterness4 ,i1 ,i have lived1' said he1 striking his breast2 ',i have borne up against the same curse that now is on him4 ,i have had the same feeling gnawing at my heart1 giving me no rest1 no peace4 ,he must suffer4 ,he must not take refuge from himself in madness4 ,he shall not1' said he1 savagely4 ',ha6 ha6 who would have thought that the flint which the old fellow calls his heart had feeling in it8' ,whether these remarks reached ,rust's ear1 or whether it was that his mind1 after the first shock of the intelligence was over1 was beginning to rally1 is a matter of doubt2 but from some cause or other1 he suddenly discontinued his singing1 passed his hand across his forehead1 held his long hair back from his face1 and stared about him2 his eye wandering from ,grosket to ,jones1 and around the room1 and then resting on the floor4 ,he sat for some time looking steadfastly down1 his face gradually regaining its stern1 unbending character2 his thin lips compressing themselves1 until his mouth had assumed its usual expression of bitterness1 mingled with resolution4 ,the two men watched1 without speaking1 the progress of this metamorphosis4 ,at last he rose1 and turning to ,grosket1 said in a calm voice3 ',you've done your worst2 yet you see ,michael ,rust can bear it2' and then bowing to him1 he said3 ',good bye1 ,enoch4 ,whatever may have happened to my child1 ,i am blameless4 ,i never sold her happiness to gratify my avarice4 ,if she has become what ,enoch's child was1 the sin does not lie at my door4 ,i don't know how it is with you4' ,turning to ,jones1 he said1 in the same quiet tone3 ',murderer of your bosom-friend1 good bye4' ,the door closed1 and he was gone4 ,a bitter execration from the two men followed him4 ,from ,jones1 it burst forth in unbridled fury1 and he sprang forward to avenge the taunt1 but was withheld by ,grosket1 who grasped his arm1 then as suddenly relinquished his hold1 and said3 ',quick6 quick6 ,jones4 ,drag him back6 ,it concerns your safety and my plans to get him back4' ,the man dashed to the door and down the stairs4 ,in a moment he reppeared3 ',it's too late4 ,he's in the street4' ',curse it6 that was a blunder6 ,we should have searched him4 ,he carries all his papers with him4' ,but almost at the same moment he seemed to overcome his vexation1 for he said3 ',well1 it can't be helped1 so there's no use in grumbling about it4 ,and now1 ,bill ,jones1' said he1 turning to the other1 'you know what you've done1 and who set you on4 ,so do ,i4 ,he's worse than you are4 ,if you were him1 ,i'd arrest you on the spot4 ,as it is1 ,i say you had better make yourself scarce4 ,your neck is in danger1 for although the death of ,tim1 if the rumor is true1 was accidental----' ',it was1 it was1 ,mr4 ,grosket1' interrupted ,jones4 ',d--n it1 if it was ,rust1 if it was only him1 ,i wouldn't mind it4 ,i'd die myself1 to see him swing4' ',well1 hear me1' continued ,grosket4 ',you were committing a felony when you killed ,craig1 and his death1 although accidental1 is murder4 ,i'm no lawyer1 but ,i know that4 ,you must run for it4' ',i'd cuss all danger1' said ,jones1 gnawing his lip1 'if ,i could only lug ,rust in it too4' ',well1 well1' returned ,grosket1 'you must take your own course2 but remember ,i've warned you4 ,you have some good traits about you1 ,bill1 and that's more than ,rust has4 ,good bye6' ,he extended his hand to the burglar4 ,jones grasped it eagerly4 ',thank you6 thank you1 ,mr4 ,grosket1' said he1 the tears starting to his eyes4 ',if you only knew how ,i was brought up1 how ,i suffered1 what has made me what ,i am1 you wouldn't think so hard of me as some do4 ,but there is blood on me1 now2 that's worse than all4 ,i'll never get over that4 ,i might1 if it wasn't ,tim's4 ,good bye1 ,god bless ye1 ,mr4 ,grosket6 ,my blessing won't do you much good1 but it can't hurt you4' ,grosket shook his hand1 and left the room2 and the desperate man1 whom he left melted by a transient word of kindness1 which had found its way to his rugged heart1 buried his face in his hands1 and wept4 ,once in the street1 ,rust endeavored to bear up against his fortune4 ,but he could not4 ,his mind was confused1 and all his thoughts were strange1 fantastic and shadowy4 ,he paused2 dashed his hand impatiently against his forehead1 and endeavored to shake off the spell4 ,no1 no6 it would not leave him4 ,failure in his schemes6 dishonor in his child6 ,he could think of them1 and of them only4 ,once on this theme1 his mind became more bewildered than ever2 and yielding himself to its impulses1 he fell into a slow pace1 and sauntered on1 with his chin bent down on his breast4 ,from the thickly-settled parts of the town he went on1 until he came to streets where the bustle and crowd were less2 then to others1 which were nearly deserted2 then on he went1 until he reached a quarter where the houses stood far apart1 with vacant lots between them4 ,still he kept on4 ,then came fields1 and cottages1 and farm-houses1 surrounded by tall trees4 ,still on he went1 still wading through a mass of chaotic fancies1 springing up1 and reeling and flitting through his mind2 shadows of things that had been1 and might be2 ghosts of the past2 prophets of the future4 ,he had become a very child4 ,at last he stood on the bank of the river2 and then for the first time he seemed to awaken from his trance4 ,it was a glorious day1 whose sunshine might have found its way even into his black heart4 ,oh6 how soft1 and mellow1 and pure1 the hurricane of the last night had left it6 ,not a cloud in the sky1 not a breath to ripple the water1 or to wave the long trailing locks of the hoary willows1 which nodded over its banks4 ,rust looked about him1 with a bewildered gaze1 until his eye became fixed upon the water4 ',it's very quiet1 very quiet1' said he2 ',i wonder if a man1 once engulfed in it1 feels peace4' ,he pressed his hand to his breast1 and muttered3 ',here it is gone forever6' ,he loitered listlessly on1 under the trees4 ,his step was feeble2 and he stooped and tottered1 as if decrepid4 ,he stopped again1 shook his head1 and went on1 looking upon the ground1 and at times long and wistfully at the river4 ,an old man1 leaning on a stout cane1 who had been watching him1 at last came up4 ,raising his hat1 as he did so1 he said3 ',you seem1 like myself1 to be an admirer of this noble river8' ,rust looked up at him sharply1 ready to gather in his energies1 if necessary4 ,but there was nothing in the mild1 dignified face of the speaker to invite suspicion1 and he replied in a feeble tone3 ',yes1 yes2 it is a noble river4' ',i've seen many1 in my long life1' said the other1 'and have never met its equal4' ,rust paused1 as if he did not hear him1 and then continued in a musing tone3 ',how smooth it is6 how calm6 ,many have found peace there1 who never found it in life4 ,drowning's an easy death1 ,i'm told4' ,the stranger replied gravely1 and even sternly3 ',they have escaped the troubles of life1 and plunged into those of eternity2' and then1 as if willing to give ,rust an opportunity of explaining away the singular character of the remark1 he said3 ',i hope you do not meditate suicide8' ',no1' replied ,rust1 quietly1 'not at present2 but ,i've often thought that many a wrecked spirit will find there what it never found on earth--peace4' ',the body may1' returned the other1 'but not the soul4' ,rust smiled doubtfully1 and walked off4 ,the man watched1 and even followed him2 but seeing him turn from the river1 he took another direction1 occasionally pausing to look back4 ,not so ,rust4 ,from the time he had parted with the stranger1 he had forgotten him1 and his thoughts wandered back to their old theme4 ,it was strange that he should believe so implicitly ,grosket's tale1 coming as it did from one whom he knew hated him4 ,yet he did believe it4 ,there was proof of its truth in ,grosket's manner2 in his look2 in his tone of assured triumph4 ,yet although ,rust brooded over nothing else that livelong day1 he could not realize it2 he could not appreciate how desolate and lonely he was4 ,he could only fancy how life would be1 if what ,grosket had told him had happened4 ',this is not all a dream1 ,i suppose1' muttered he1 pausing as he went1 and passing his hand across his forehead4 ',no1 no2 ,i'm awake--wide awake2 and ,i am ,michael ,rust2 that's more strange than all4' ,after hours of wandering1 he found himself at his office4 ,he ascended the stairs1 opened the door1 and went in4 ,it was dark1 for the lights had been twinkling in the shop-windows before he left the street2 but he sat down without observing it2 and there he remained until ,kornicker came in with a light4 ,rust made no reply to the salutation which he received4 ,kornicker placed the light on the table2 and after loitering round the room1 and busying himself with a few papers which he had arranged on the table1 to give it a business-like appearance1 he asked3 ',do you want me any more1 to-night8' ',no2 you may go4' ,the dismissal and departure of ,mr4 ,kornicker were almost simultaneous4 ,his heavy foot went thumping from step to step1 and finally the street-door banged after him4 ,rust sat without moving1 listening to every tramp of his heavy foot1 until the door shut it out4 ',so1 he's gone1' said he1 drawing a long breath1 and cuddling himself up on his chair4 ',he'll be in my way no more to-night4' ,he shivered slightly2 and then got up and drew his chair nearer the grate1 although there was no fire in it4 ',and this is then the end of my scheme1' muttered he2 ',i have gone on for years in the same beaten track1 fighting off all who could interfere with me4 ,the affection of those who would have loved me2 friends1 relatives1 those nearest to me1 with the same blood in our veins1 nursed in the same arms1 who drew life from the same source2 this cold heart has repulsed1 until they have all abandoned me6' ,he leaned his head on his hands1 and tears1 scalding tears1 gushed from his eyes4 ',i did it for her4 ,it was to get gold to lavish on her4 ,i would have chained myself for life to that old man's daughter1 to get wealth2 ,i would have added the murder of those children to the catalogue of my crimes1 that ,i might have grasped their inheritance1 to have showered all that ,i had gathered by toil and crime upon her4 ,she was my hope1 my pride1 my own dear darling child2 but she is shipwrecked now2 she has withered my heart4 ,i would have shed its last blood for her4 ,i would--,i would2 indeed ,i would6 ,but it's useless to think of it4 ,she can never be what she was2 the bright1 pure-souled1 spotless child whom ,i worshipped4 ,yes1 yes2 ,i did worship her2 ,why deny it8 ,better1 far better1 she had died1 for then ,i might still have cherished her memory4 ,it's too late4 ,she's become a castaway now4' ,he paused4 ,from a state of deep and querulous despondency1 he gradually recovered composure2 then his mood grew sterner and sterner2 until his compressed lips and flashing eye showed that he had passed from one extreme to the other4 ',is there nothing left to live for8' exclaimed he2 'nothing left8 ,one thing can yet be done4 ,i must ascertain her disgrace beyond a doubt4 ,then atonement can and shall be made1 or he had better never have been born6' ,rust stood up1 with an expression of bold1 honest indignation1 such as he had rarely worn1 stamped on every feature4 ',this must be accomplished1' said he4 ',everything else must be abandoned3 this done1 let me die2 for ,i cannot love her as ,i did1 and ,i might hate her3 ,better die6' ,,chapter ,,twenty-,,third4 ,richard ,holmes1 ,esq4 was sitting in his office1 two days after the events narrated in the last chapter1 with his nose within a few inches of a law-book which rested on his knees1 when he was aroused by the opening of the door1 and the entrance of a man4 ,holmes was so much out of the world1 and out of the current of business1 that he did what a practitioner at the bar of his age and standing rarely does2 that is1 he looked up without waiting till he was addressed4 ',ah1 ,harson8--it's you1 is it8' said he1 laying aside his book1 but without rising4 ,harry walked up1 shook hands with him1 and seated himself4 ',we've been hard at work1 and have made some progress1' said he1 taking off his hat1 and placing it on the table4 ',we've got the woman4' ',what woman8' ',blossom1' replied ,harson2 ',i've brought her here to answer for herself4 ,she was in ,rust's employ1 and received the children from him4 ,she's below4' ',what news of the boy8' inquired ,holmes4 ',grosket is after him4 ,he knows where he is4 ,would you like to see the woman8' ',it would be as well1' said ,holmes1 drumming on the table4 ',we'll hear what she has to say4 ,does she communicate what she knows willingly or under compulsion8' ',she's not very talkative2' answered ,harson1 'and seems terribly afraid of ,rust4' ',i think we can squeeze the truth out of her1' replied ,holmes4 ',bring her up4' ,harson went out1 and in a few minutes reppeared with ,mrs4 ,blossom at his heels4 ,the lawyer pointed to a chair1 into which the lady sank1 apparently in a state of great exhaustion and agitation2 for she moaned and rocked to and fro1 and wrung her hands4 ',your name's ,blossom1 ,i think1' said ,holmes1 evincing no sympathy whatever with her sufferings4 ',ah's me6 ah's me6 ,i'm very old6 ,i'm very old6' exclaimed the lady1 moaning from the very bottom of her lungs1 but without making any reply to the question4 ',hark ye1' said ,holmes1 in a stern tone1 ',i have not sent for you1 to listen to your moaning1 nor to be trifled with in any other way4 ,you have come here to disclose the deeds of a scoundrel2 and disclose them you must4 ,you shall answer all my questions1 truly1 honestly1 and without equivocation1 or it will be the worse for you4 ,i am aware of offences committed by you1 which1 if punished as they merit1 would send you to prison4 ,i tell you this1 that you may know exactly how we stand with reference to each other4 ,if you wish to serve yourself1 you will find true and prompt replies to whatever ,i ask4 ,what's your name8' ,mrs4 ,blossom oscillated in her chair1 glanced at the wall1 replied ',blossom1' and buried her face in a rag of a shawl4 ',good6 ,where do you live8' demanded the lawyer4 ,the woman answered1 and ,holmes wrote it down4 ',do you know a man by the name of ,michael ,rust8' ,mrs4 ,blossom's chair became very uneasy1 and she was seized with a violent cough4 ,the lawyer waited until her cough was better1 and repeated the question1 accompanying it by a look which produced an answer in the affirmative4 ',what other name did you ever know him to bear8' ,mrs4 ,blossom suddenly found her voice1 and replied boldly3 ',no other2' and here she spoke the truth2 for ,rust had trusted her no farther than was absolutely necessary4 ',how long have you known him8' ,mrs4 ,blossom again lost her voice1 but found it instantly on meeting the eye of ,holmes2 and she answered bluntly1 ',about four years4' ',what led to your acquaintance8' ,the woman cast a shrewd suspicious glance at him1 as if calculating how far she might trifle with impunity2 but there was something in his manner that was not encouraging1 and she replied1 'that she could not remember4' ,holmes laid down his pen1 and pushing back his chair so that he faced her1 said in a quiet but very decided manner3 ',mrs4 ,blossom1 you have been brought here for the purpose of giving us such information as will enable us to do justice to a person who has been greatly injured by this man ,rust4 ,i mention this1 not because ,i suppose the motive will have any great weight with you1 but to let you see that the object of our investigation is nothing against yourself4 ,your answers are important to us2 for at present we know no other than yourself1 of whom we can obtain the information we require4 ,i do not conceal this1 nor will ,i conceal the fact that unless you do answer me1 you shall leave this room for a prison4 ,i told you so before2 ,i repeat it now2 ,i will not repeat it a third time4 ,i already know enough of the matter on which ,i am interrogating you1 to be able to detect falsehood in your answers4' ,there was something either in the words of the lawyer or in the formation of her chair that caused ,mrs4 ,blossom to move very uneasily2 and at the same time to cast a glance behind her1 as if there existed a strong connection between her thoughts and the door4 ,she was however used to trying circumstances1 and did not lose her presence of mind4 ,she made no reply1 but sat with every faculty1 which long training had sharpened to a high degree of cunning1 on the alert2 but she was not a little taken by surprise when ,holmes1 after taking from the table a packet of papers1 selected one1 and having spent a few minutes in examining it1 said to her3 ',to convince you that we are perfectly acquainted with the nature of your dealings with ,rust1 ,i will enter into a few details1 which may perhaps enable you to recollect something more4 ,four years since1 on the sixteenth of ,december1 a man by the name of ,blossom1 with whom you lived1 and whose name you bear1 although you are not his wife1 proposed to you to take charge of two children1 a boy and girl4 ,at first you refused1 but finally agreed to do it on receiving five hundred dollars1 and the assurance that no inquiry would be made as to the treatment they received at your hands1 and that whether they lived or died was a matter of indifference to the person who placed them in your charge1 and would not be too closely investigated4 ,the children came4 ,they were quite young4 ,you had them for a week1 and were then informed that they must go1 for a time1 to the country4 ,you asked no questions1 but gave them up1 and they were sent away1 the money for their support being furnished by the same hand that threw them upon your mercy4 ,in a year or so they were brought back1 and were again entrusted to you1 with instructions to break them down1 and if possible to send them to their graves2 but if their bodies were proof against cruelty1 then so to pollute their very souls1 and familiarize them with crime1 that they should forget what they had been2 and that even those who should have loved them best would blush to see what they were4 ,you began your work well1 for you had a stern1 savage master over you--,michael ,rust4 ,thus much1' said he1 ',i know2 but ,i must know more4 ,you must identify the children as the same first delivered to you by ,rust4 ,you must disclose the names of the persons with whom they lived in the country4 ,you must also give me such information as will enable us to fasten this crime on ,rust4 ,another person could have proved all this--the man ,blossom2 but you know he is dead4' ,he paused1 for ,mrs4 ,blossom's face grew deadly pale as he spoke4 ,it was momentary1 however2 and might have passed away entirely1 had not a strange suspicion fastened itself on his mind4 ,he added in a slow tone3 ',what ailed him1 you know best4' ,mrs4 ,blossom's thin lips grew perfectly white2 and moved as if she were attempting to speak4 ',will you give me the information ,i require8 or will you accept the alternative8' said ,holmes1 still keeping his eye upon her4 ',go on2 what do you want8' demanded she1 in a quick husky voice4 ',you are acquainted with ,michael ,rust8' ',i am1' replied she1 in the same quick1 nervous manner4 ',how did you first become acquainted with him8' ',you know all that1' was the abrupt reply4 ',why should ,i go over it again8 ,it's all true1 as you said it4' ,holmes paused to make a note of it1 and then asked3 ',what is the name of the person1 in the country1 who took charge of the children8' ',i don't know1' replied the woman4 ',michael ,rust sent a man for them1 who took them off4' ',who was this man8' ',i don't know2 ,i never saw him4 ,mr4 ,blossom gave the children to him1 and never told me his name4' ',good1' said ,holmes1 in his short1 abrupt manner3 ',where are these children now8' ',one's at his house1' replied she1 pointing to ,harson4 ',the other1 by this time1 is with a man named ,grosket4 ,he's been arter him1 and ,i suppose has got him by this time4' ',enoch ,grosket8' inquired ,holmes4 ,the woman nodded4 ',i told him where he'd find him4 ,he went straight off to fetch him4' ',will you swear that they are the same children brought to you four years since8' said ,holmes1 pausing in his writing1 and running his eye over the notes which he had made4 ',do you know them to be the same8' ',the man said so1 who brought 'em back at the end of the year4 ,that's all ,i know about it4 ,they never left me arter that4' ',who was that man8' ',tim ,craig1' replied the woman4 ',and he's dead4 ,the only person who could reveal their place of concealment during that year1 and the name of those who had the care of them4 ,the chain is broken1 by which to identify them as the lost children of ,george ,colton4 ,who can aid us in this8' ',i ,,can6' said a voice4 ,all three started1 for there1 at their very elbow1 stood ,michael ,rust2 but ,rust1 fearfully altered1 worn down1 wan1 haggard1 with sunken cheeks1 and features rigid and colorless1 as if cut from wax1 and with an eye of fire4 ,but wrecked as he was1 there was still that strange sneering smile on his lip1 which seemed as if only parting to utter sarcasm and mockery4 ,but now he was serious in his mood1 for he repeated3 ',i can1 and without my aid the secret must be hid forever4' ,holmes rose1 angrily1 from his seat4 ',what brought you here8' demanded he4 ',be seated1 ,i beg of you1' said ,rust1 bowing1 and speaking in a low1 mocking tone4 ',what brought me here8 ,you called upon me1 ,i think2 it was but civil to return the visit4 ,i have come to do so4' ',this is idle1 ,sir1' replied ,holmes1 coldly4 ',you came for some purpose4 ,name it4 ,the sooner this interview is over1 the more agreeable ,i suppose it will be for both of us4' ',for me1 certainly1' said ,rust1 in a manner so constrained and different from his usual one1 that the lawyer was in doubt whether he was in jest or earnest4 ,then he added1 in a bitter tone3 ',you ask what brought me here4 ,destiny1 folly1 revenge perhaps against my own heart's blood4 ,call it what you will2 here ,i am2 and ready to assist in the very matter which now perplexes you4 ,what more do you want8' ,holmes replied with a sarcastic smile3 ',the assistance of ,michael ,rust is likely to be as great as his sincerity4 ,we certainly should place great reliance on it4' ,rust1 perfectly unmoved by the taunt1 answered in a tone so bitter1 so full of hatred to himself1 so replete with the outpouring of a cankered heart1 so despairing and reckless1 that the lawyer felt that even in him there might be some truth3 ',i care not whether you trust me or not2 ,i care not whether you believe me or not4 ,if ,michael ,rust could ever have been swayed by the opinions of others1 it would have been before this2 it's too late to begin now4 ,i came here because ,i have failed in all ,i undertook2 because ,i am beginning to hate the one for whom ,i have toiled1 until ,i grew gray with the wearing away of mind and body2 because the soul of life is gone4 ,i do it out of revenge against that person4 ,there is no remorse2 no conscience2 but it's revenge4 ,look at me2 that person has blasted me4 ,do ,i not show it in every feature and limb8 ,now you understand me4 ,my schemes are abandoned2 and ,i shall soon be where neither man nor law can reach me4 ,my secret can do me no good2 why should ,i keep it8 ,perhaps the recollection of past days and of past favors from one whom ,i have wronged1 may have had its weight2 perhaps not4 ,i've come to tell the truth4 ,if you will hear it1 well2 if not1 ,i go1 and it goes with me4' ,holmes and ,harson exchanged looks1 and ,harson nodded1 as if in acquiescence to some proposition which he supposed the looks of the other to indicate4 ',well1 ,sir1' replied ,holmes1 'we will hear what you have to say4' ',stop1' said ,rust2 'before uttering a word1 ,i must have a promise4' ,the lawyer looked at him1 and then at ,harson1 as much as to say3 ',i expected it4 ,there's some trick in it4' ,rust observed it1 and said3 ',spare your suspicions2 ,i have come here to be frank and honest in word and deed2 and ,michael ,rust can be so1 when the fancy seizes him4 ,the promise ,i require is this2 whatever ,i may reveal1 no matter what the penalty1 you will not set the blood-hounds of the law on my track within forty-eight hours4 ,i have yet one act to perform in the great farce of life4 ,that accomplished1 you may do your worst4' ',this is all very strange1' said ,holmes1 eyeing the thin1 excited features of his visitor1 as if not altogether sure of his sanity2 'if you fear the punishment of your misdeeds1 why reveal them8 ,why place yourself in our power1 or run the risk of our interfering with your future movements8' ,rust replied bitterly3 ',you shall hear4 ,my whole life has been spent for one person1 my own child4 ,every faculty of mind and body has been devoted to her1 and every crime ,i have committed was for her4 ,scruples were disregarded2 ties of blood set at defiance2 every thing that binds man to man1 that deters from wrong1 were disregarded1 if they stood in the way of that one grand aim of life4 ,she forgot all6 ,she has broken me down1 heart and spirit4 ,love and devotion were crushed with them1 and revenge has sprung up from their ruins4 ,ay6 revenge against my own child6 ,should any thing prevent my doing what ,i have yet to do1 and should my brother die1 and his children not be found1 she would be his heir4 ,i would have labored and succeeded1 for one who has disgraced me1 and made me what you see me6' ,he stretched out his thin hands1 displaying the large veins1 coursing beneath the skin1 and apparently full to bursting4 ',how wasted they are6' ,he smiled as he looked at them1 and then asked3 ',will you promise8' ,the lawyer turned to ,harson1 and then said3 ',i promise2 do you1 ,harson8' ,harry nodded4 ',good6' said ,rust1 abruptly4 ',you know my name1 and much of my history4 ,all the facts which you detailed to me at my office a short time since are true--true almost to the very letter4 ,michael ,rust and ,henry ,colton are one4 ,the plodding1 scheming1 heartless1 unprincipled ,henry ,colton1 who could sell his brother's own flesh and blood for gold2 who could forget all the kindnesses heaped upon him1 and stab his benefactor1 and this wreck of ,michael ,rust1 are one6' ,he struck his hand against his chest1 and strode up and down the room1 biting his lips4 ',he was rich1 and ,i was poor3 he gave me the means of living1 but ,i wanted more4 ,i had my eye on his entire wealth1 and ,i wanted him to be in his grave4 ,but he thwarted me in that4 ,feeble and sickly1 so that a breath might have destroyed him1 he lived on1 and at last1 as if to balk me farther1 he married4 ,two children were born2 two more obstacles between me and my aim4 ,two children6--two more of the same blood for me to love4 ,ho6 ho6 how ,michael ,rust loved those babes6' exclaimed he1 clutching his fingers above his head1 and gasping as he spoke4 ,he turned1 and fastening his glaring eye on the lawyer1 griped his fingers together1 with his teeth hard set and speaking through them1 said in a sharp whisper3 ',i could have strangled them6' ,he paused2 and then went on3 ',at last came the thought of removing them4 ,at first it was vague3 it came like a shadow1 and went off2 then it came again1 more distinct4 ,then it became stronger1 and stronger1 until it grew into a passion--a very madness4 ,at last my mind was made up1 and my plans formed4 ,i trusted no one1 but carried them off myself1 and delivered them to the husband of that woman1' pointing to ,mrs4 ,blossom4 ',i told him nothing of their history3 he was paid to take charge of them1 and asked no questions4 ,then came the clamor of pursuit4 ,i daily met and comforted my broken-hearted brother and his wife3 ,i held out hopes which ,i knew were false2 ,i offered rewards2 ,i turned pursuit in every direction except the right one4 ,they both thanked me1 and looked upon me as their best friend2 and so ,i was1 for ,i kept up hope2 and what is life without it8 ,at last the search approached the neighborhood where the children really were1 and they were sent to the country4 ,a man by the name of ,craig took them4 ,the only person who was in the secret was ,enoch ,grosket2 but he knew nothing respecting the history of the children1 nor where they went4' ',where was it8' inquired ,holmes1 anxiously1 'and to whom did you entrust them8' ',i have prepared it all1' said ,rust2 he drew a letter from his pocket and handed it to him4 ',you'll find it there1 and the names of the persons2 they know nothing of the children2 but they can identify them as those left with them four years ago2 and they still have the clothes which they wore at the time2 but the girl's resemblance to her mother will save all that trouble4' ,he paused1 with his dark eyes fastened on the floor1 and his lips working with intense emotion4 ',and is it possible that the love of gold can lead one to crimes like these6' said ,holmes1 in a subdued tone4 ',love of gold6' exclaimed ,rust1 fiercely2 'what cared ,i for gold8 ,ho6 ho6 ,michael ,rust values gold but as dross2 but it is the world2 the cringing1 obsequious1 miser-hearted world1 that kisses the very feet of wealth1 which set ,michael ,rust on2 it was this that lashed him forward2 but not for himself4 ,i married a woman whom ,i loved1' said he1 in a quick1 stern tone2 'she abandoned me and became an outcast1 and paid the penalty by an outcast's fate3 she died in the streets4 ,the love which ,i bore her ,i transferred to my child4 ,i was poor1 and ,i resolved that she should be rich4 ,can you understand my motive now8 ,i loved my own flesh and blood better than my brother's4 ,i have now relinquished my plans1 and have told you why4' ,a pause of some moments ensued1 and ,rust said3 ',is there any thing more that you want8 ,if so1 tell me at once1 for after to-day we shall never meet again4' ,holmes ran his eye over the papers1 and selecting two letters1 handed them to ,rust1 and said3 ',how do you account for the difference of that hand-writing1 if ,michael ,rust and ,henry ,colton are one8' ',michael ,rust wrote one hand1 ,henry ,colton another1' said ,rust2 'but ,i wrote both4' ,he seized a pen1 wrote a few words1 signed the names ,michael ,rust and ,henry ,colton1 and flung it on the table4 ',the game had been well studied before it was played4' ',your writing is well disguised indeed1' said the lawyer1 comparing it with the letters2 'it solves that difficulty4' ',any thing else8' demanded ,rust1 impatiently2 'my time is limited4' ,holmes shook his head2 but ,harson said3 ',a few words about ,jacob ,rhoneland4' ',well8' ',you accuse him of forgery2 what does that mean8' ',he was a fool3 ,i wanted to marry his daughter2 ,i represented myself to him as very rich1 to tempt his avarice2 that failed4 ,i added entreaties2 they failed4 ,then ,i tried the effect of fear4 ,he was not deaf to that for a long time1 but at last he overcame even that4' ',and the tale8' ',was well fabricated1 but false4' ',and ,ned ,somers8' ',i had to get rid of him3 what could ,i do while he was dallying round the girl8 ,i did get rid of him3 a few lies whispered to the old man sent him adrift4 ,but ,i'm tired of this2 ,i came to tell what ,i pleased1 and nothing more1 and ,i must be at work4 ,you must respect your promise1' said he1 turning to ,holmes4 ',i shall1 and ,i hope your present errand at least is an honest one4' ',it is1' said ,rust1 with a strange smile2 'it is to punish a criminal4' ,he opened the door and went off without another word4 ,,night ,,and ,,morning4 ',to-morrow to fresh fields and pastures new6' ,,lycidas4 ,yes6 ,i have been for many a changeful year1 ,studious or sensual1 gay or wild1 or sad1 ,an earnest votary of ,evening4 ,she ,had something wondrous winning to my eye1 ,so soft she was1 and quiet4 ,often too1 ,absorbed in books1 which were perchance a bane1 ,perchance a blessing2 or in glittering crowds1 ,gazing all rapt on woman's eloquent face1 ,nature's most witching and most treacherous page2 ,or high in mirth with those whose senseful wit ,outflashed the rosy wines that warmed its flow1 ,i've held my vigils till the brow of ,night ,grew pale and starless1 and her solemn pomp1 ,out-glared by day1 faded in hueless space4 ,i do repent me of my worship4 ,night ,was given for rest3 who breaks this natural law ,wrongs body and soul alike4 ,one vigorous hour ,of sober day-light thought is worth a night's ,slow oscitations of a drowsy mind4 ',neath ,eve's pale star the desolate heart reverts ,to those far moments1 when the sky was blue1 ,and earth was green1 as earth and sky to eyes ,once disenchanted1 can appear no more4 ,we all are mourners4 ,good men must deplore ,lost hours1 lost friends1 lost pleasures2 and the bad ,are racked by throes of impotent remorse1 ,dark1 fierce1 and bitter2 for themselves are lost1 ,and still neglecting what remains of life1 ,they strive by backward reachings to redeem ,the irredeemable4 ,why pass the hours1 ,the fleeting hours1 in profitless regrets1 ,when each regret but lops another bough1 ,full of green promise1 from the tree of life8 ,you1 who in your bereavement truly feel ,this truth1 expressed so sadly and so well3 ',joy's recollection is no longer joy1 ,while ,sorrow's memory is sorrow still2' ,i counsel to recant your vows1 and come ,with me to worship at a better shrine1 ,the shrine of ,morning4 ,morning is the hour ,of vigorous thought1 unconquerable hope1 ,and high endeavor4 ,all our powers1 in sleep ,bathed1 nurtured1 clad1 and strung with nerves of steel1 ,rise from their brief oblivion keen with health1 ,and strong for struggling1 and we feel that toil ,is toil's own recompense4 ,i deem that ,man ,is not a retrospective being2 for his course ,is on1 still on2 and never should his eyes ,turn back1 but to detect his errors past1 ,and shun them in his future steps4 ,too long1 ,ah6 much too long1 ,o world6 and oft ,i've gazed ,in awe and wonder on thy midnight sleep1 ,while magic ,memory1 singly or in groups1 ,upon her faded tablets re-produced ,fair and familiar forms of ,love and ,joy4 ,oh6 so familiar were they1 and so fair1 ,though dim1 those blessed faces1 that my eyes ,grew tremulous with the dew of unshed tears4 ,the gaze hath hurt me4 ,it hath taken their rest ,and natural joy from body and spirit1 and worn ,too fast the wheel-work of this frail machine4 ,and now1 oh6 sleeping ,nature6 while the stars ,smile on thy face1 and ,i in fancy hear ,the low pulsations of thy dormant life1 ,and feel thy mighty bosom heave and fall ,with regular breathings2 through my little world ,i feel ,disease advancing on his sure ,and stealthy mission4 ,well ,i know his step1 ,the wily traitor6 when ,i mark my short1 ,quick respirations2 and his call ,i know1 ,as1 in the hush of night1 my ear alarmed ,by the heart's death-march notes1 repeats its strange ,and audible beatings4 ,down6 grim spectre1 down6 ,flap not thy wings across my face1 nor let ,thy ghastly visage1 horrible shadow6 freeze ,my staring eye-balls6 ,let me fly1 ,o ,death6 ,thy chilling presence1 and implore thy soft ,and merciful brother1#b dewy ,sleep1 to drip ,papaverous balsam on my eyes1 and lull ,my throbbing temples on his lap to rest6 99 99 99 99 99 ,the day-spring reddens3 the first few1 faint streaks1 ,mingling and brightening o'er the eastern skies1 ,announce the upward chariot of the ,sun4 ,light leaps from ,darkness6 ,in the grave of ,night ,day lays aside his burial-robes1 and dons ,his regal crown1 and ,nature smiles to see ,his resurrection1 shouting1 ',hail6 oh1 hail6 ,eve's younger#c brother6 and again1 all hail6 ,thou bright-eyed ,morning6 fairest among all ,of ,god's fair creatures6 ,rise1 bright prince1 and shine ,o'er this green earth1 from brooding ,darkness won1 ,from wild1 waste ,chaos1 and the womb of ,night6' #b ,greek3 ,entha de ,nuktos paides eremns oiki echousin1 ,hypnos kai ,thanatos1 k4 t4 l4 ,,hes4 ,,theog4 #a4 #geh1 etc4 #c ,observe the order of collocation in ,genesis ,i3 #e4 ',and the ,,evening and the ,,morning were the first day4' ,let me too burst the leaden bands of ,sleep1 ,and while the blinking stars1 all faint and pale ,with their long watch1 recall their courier-rays ,to their far orbits2 and our earthly stars1 ,the stars of ,fashion1 sick and wan as they1 ,are wheeling homeward to their feverous rest1 ,let me walk forth among the silent groves1 ,or through the cool vales snuff the morning air4 ,how fresh6 how breathing6 ,every draught ,i take ,seems filled with healthiest life1 and sends the blood ,rushing and tingling through my quickened veins1 ,like inspiration6 ,how the fluent air1 ,fanned into motion by thy breezy wings1 ,o1 fragrant ,morning6 blows from off the earth ,the congregated vapors1 dank and foul1 ,by yesterday coagulate and mixed6 ,miasmas steaming up from sunless fens2 ,the effluvia of vegetable death2 ,disease exhaled from pestilential beds1 ,and ,lust's rank pantings and the fumes of wine2 ,all these1 condensed in one pernicious gas ,by ,noon's hot efflux and the reeking ,night1 ,thy filtering breezes make as fresh and sweet ,as infant slumbers2 pure as the virgin's breath ,whispering her first love in the eager ear ,of her heart's chosen4 ,on this climbing hill1 ,while1 lost in ecstacy1 ,i stand and gaze ,on the fresh beauties of a world disrobed1 ,how does thy searching breath1 oh1 infant ,day6 ,inspire the languid frame with new-born life1 ,and all its sinking powers rejuvenate1 ,freshening the murky hollows of the soul6 ,good ,heaven6 ,how glorious this morning hour1 ,nature's new birth-time6 ,all her mighty frame1 ,in lowly vale1 on lofty mountain-top1 ,and wide savannah1 stirs1 with sprightful life1 ,life irrepressible1 whose eager thrill ,shoots to her very finger-tips1 and makes ,each little flower through all her delicate threads ,each fibrous plant1 each blade of corn or grass1 ,and each tall tree1 through all its limbs and leaves1 ,quiver and tremble4 ,the increasing light ,reveals the outlines of the shadowy hills1 ,and1 charm by charm1 the landscape all comes forth1 ,wood1 stream1 and valley2 while above that green ,and waving ocean swells an endless vault ,of blue serenity1 and round its verge ,kindles and flashes with rubescent gleams ,the far horizon2 till the whole appears ,a sapphire dome1 which1 edged with golden rim1 ,spans the green surges of an emerald sea4 ,the ,sun is still unseen2 yet far before ,his chariot-wheels a train of glory marks ,his kindling track1 and all the air is now ,a luminous ocean4 ,whence these floods of light1 ,rich with all hues8 ,say6 have the spherd stars1 ,powdered in shining atoms1 fallen and filled ,the ambient air with their invisible dews8 ,or have the fugitive particles of light1 ,the ,sun's lost emanations1 which all night ,lay hid in hollows of the earth1 or slept ,in vegetable cells1 come forth to greet ,their monarch's coming8 ,are they pioneers ,sent to prepare his way1 and raise his bright ,victorious banner1 that their sovereign's eye ,from his serene pavilion may behold ,no lingering shadow from the gloomy host ,of hateful ,darkness1 who hast westward borne ,his routed army and his fading flag8 ,alas6 proud ,science1 ,fancy's sneering foe1 ,says they are but the ,sun's refracted rays1 ,and scintillations from his burning wheels4 ,,earth',s bride-groom rises4 ,round his glittering head ,he shakes his streamy locks1 and fast and far ,sheds showers of splendor2 and his blushing bride1 ,recumbent on her grassy couch1 scarce opes ,her bashful eyes to meet his ardent gaze4 ,while at the advent of her lord1 the ,earth1 ,marking his shining footsteps1 with a smile ,remembers the espousals of her youth1 ,when morning stars rang out the nuptial song#d ,in jubilant chorus2 on her milky breast1 ,all the green nurslings of his favor raise ,their dewy heads1 and welcome his approach ,with thankful greetings2 and each gentle flower ,turns her fair face to the munificent god ,of her idolatry1 and well repays ,his warm caresses with her perfumed breath4 #d ',when the morning stars sang together1' etc4 ,,job3 ,,xxxviii41 #g4 ,in the same chapter observe the astonishing boldness of scripture personification1 and the unequalled pomp of oriental imagery4 ,but while inanimate nature takes the shows ,of life1 and joy1 and deep and passionate sense1 ,the animal kingdom sleeps not2 all its tribes ,swell the glad anthem4 ,birds1 that all night long ,slept and dreamed sweetly 'neath their folded wings1 ,at nature's summons are awakening now2 ,nor unmelodiously2 for from their throats1 ,in many a warbling trill1 or mingled gush1 ,comes music of such sweet and innocent strength1 ,as might force tears from the black murderer's eyes1 ,and make the sighing captive1 while he weeps ,his own hard wrongs1 lift his chained hands1 and pray ,for his oppressor more than for himself4 ,thou1 too1 my soul1 if wearing years have left ,aught of high feeling in thy wasted powers1 ,of gratitude for mercies undeserved1 ,or hope of future favors1 here and now1 ,upon this breezy hill-top1 in the eye ,of the bright day-god rising from his sleep1 ,perform thine orisons3 ',father and ,king1 ,while here thy quickening breezes round me play1 ,and yonder comes thy visible delegate ,with his bright scutcheon1 to diffuse again ,all day the rays of thy beneficence ,over this lovely earth1 thy six days' work2 ,to ,thee1 ,,almighty ,,one6 thy child would raise ,a loud thanksgiving4 ,and if this1 my strain ,of joy and thanks1 and supplication1 be ,or cold1 or weak1 or insincere in aught1 7,as our poor hearts deceive themselves so oft17 ,thou6 ,o ,,omnipotent6 canst make it warm1-- ,warm as thy love1 strong as thy ,son's strong tears1 ,and pure as thine own essence4 ,formed by ,thee1 ,saved by thy mercy from thy wrath1 we all ,are guilty ingrates1 and the best of men ,hath sins perchance which might outweigh the worth ,of all the angels4 ,i1 at least1 have sinned1 ,sinned long and deeply2 and if still my heart1 ,warped by its own bad passions1 or allured ,by the world's glitter and the arts of him1 ,thy foe and our destroyer1 should forget ,its source and destiny1 and breathe its vows ,again to idols1 yet reject ,thou not ,this present offering4 ,let thy ,grace surround ,my steps as with a muniment of rocks1 ,and guide me in the uneven paths of life1 ,a pilgrim shielded by thy hollow hand4 ,and as the grateful earth sends up all day ,her exhalations through the bibulous air ,to the sun1 her monarch2 and receives them back ,rich1 soft1 and fertile1 in the still small shower1 ,that falls invisible from the morning's womb3 ,so may my fervent heart exhale to ,thee ,daily1 the breathings of its thankful prayer4 ,and praise spontaneous2 which thy heavenly grace ,shall render back in a perpetual dew ,of benedictions1 making all the waste ,green with cool verdure4 ,oh6 the time hath been1 ,when thy benighted children lost the creed ,of thy true worship1 and to brutes bowed down1 ,and senseless stones1 and1 kneeling in sincere ,but vain devotion1 to the creature gave ,the adoration due to ,thee alone1 ,the mighty ,maker4 ,others strove to turn ,thine anger from them1 by the streaming blood ,of human victims2 and the reverend priest ,stood up1 and in the name of people and king1 ,prayed ,thee1 or some vain substitute1 to bless ,the holy murder4 ,even thy chosen1 thine own ,peculiar nation1 did forget that ,thou ,lov'st the oblation of a grateful heart1 ,a holocaust self-sacrificed to ,god1#e ,and trusted to the blood of bulls and goats1 ,and whole burned offerings4 ,and still mankind ,kneel in blind worship4 ,every heart sets up ,its separate ,dagon4 ,fierce ,ambition breathes ,his burning vow1 and1 to secure his prayer1 ,makes the dear children of his heart1 his own ,sweet home's affections and delights1 pass through ,the fire of ,moloch3 ,avarice at the shrine ,of greedy ,mammon1 gluts his eyes with gold3 ,some to ,renown bend low the obsequious knee1 ,praying to be eternized by a blast ,from her shrill trumpet3 in the glittering halls ,of sensual ,pleasure some sing songs1 and bind ,their fair young brows with chaplets steeped in wine2 ,though soon the chaplets turn to chains1 the wines ,to gall and wormwood1 and the festal song ,to howls and hootings4 ,high above these shrines ,the great arch-demon and parental ,jove ,of all the ,pantheon1 a god unknown ,but every where adored1 omnipotent ,and omnipresent to the tribes of men1 ,,self1 rears his temple4 ,but the day shall come1 ,when far and wide o'er the regenerate world1 ,from each green vale and ancient hill1 thy sons ,duly to ,thee shall bring their evening thanks ,and morning homage4 ,round each cheerful hearth1 ,or kneeling in the spreading door-tree's shade1 ,each human heart1 brim-full of love and hope1 ,and holy gratitude1 shall send aloft ,a pure oblation1 and the throbbing earth ,be one great censer1 breathing praise to ,thee4' #e ,this line is from one of ,,grimke',s polished and most scholar-like orations4 ,,the ,,legend ,,of ,,don ,,roderick4#f ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,sketch ,,book4 #f ,see ',editor's ,table' of the present number4 ,when in the year of ,redemption #gja1 ,,witizia was elected to the ,gothic throne1 his reign gave promise of happy days to ,spain4 ,he redressed grievances1 moderated the tributes of his subjects1 and conducted himself with mingled mildness and energy in the administration of the laws4 ,in a little while1 however1 he threw off the mask and showed himself in his true nature1 cruel and luxurious4 ,considering himself secure upon the throne1 he gave the reins to his licentious passions1 and soon by his tyranny and sensuality acquired the appellation of ,,witizia the ,wicked4 ,how rare is it to learn wisdom from the misfortunes of others6 ,with the fate of ,,witizia full before his eyes1 ,,don ,,roderick was no sooner established as his successor1 than he began to indulge in the same pernicious errors1 and was doomed in like manner to prepare the way for his own perdition4 ,as yet the heart of ,roderick1 occupied by the struggles of his early life1 by warlike enterprises1 and by the inquietudes of newly-gotten power1 had been insensible to the charms of women2 but in the first voluptuous calm the amorous propensities of his nature assumed their sway4 ,there are divers accounts of the youthful beauty who first found favor in his eyes1 and was elevated by him to the throne4 ,we follow1 in our legend1 the details of an ,arabian chronicler1 authenticated by a ,spanish poet4 ,let those who dispute our facts produce better authority for their contradiction4 ,among the few fortified places that had not been dismantled by ,don ,roderick was the ancient city of ,denia1 situated on the ,mediterranean coast1 and defended on a rock-built castle that overlooked the sea4 ,the ,alcayde of the castle1 with many of the people of ,denia1 was one day on his knees in the chapel1 imploring the ,virgin to allay a tempest which was strewing the coast with wrecks1 when a sentinel brought word that a ,moorish cruiser was standing for the land4 ,the ,alcayde gave orders to ring the alarm bells1 light signal-fires on the hill tops1 and rouse the country2 for the coast was subject to cruel maraudings from the ,barbary cruisers4 ,in a little while the horsemen of the neighborhood were seen pricking along the beach1 armed with such weapons as they could find2 and the ,alcayde and his scanty garrison descended from the hill4 ,in the meantime the ,moorish bark came rolling and pitching toward the land4 ,as it drew near1 the rich carving and gilding with which it was decorated1 its silken bandaroles1 and banks of crimson oars1 showed it to be no warlike vessel1 but a sumptuous galleot1 destined for state and ceremony4 ,it bore the marks of the tempest3 the masts were broken1 the oars shattered1 and fragments of snowy sails and silken awnings were fluttering in the blast4 ,as the galleot grounded upon the sand1 the impatient rabble rushed into the surf to capture and make spoil2 but were awed into admiration and respect by the appearance of the illustrious company on board4 ,there were ,moors of both sexes sumptuously arrayed1 and adorned with precious jewels1 bearing the demeanor of persons of lofty rank4 ,among them shone conspicuous a youthful beauty1 magnificently attired1 to whom all seemed to pay reverence4 ,several of the ,moors surrounded her with drawn swords1 threatening death to any that approached2 others sprang from the bark1 and1 throwing themselves on their knees before the ,alcayde1 implored him1 by his honor and courtesy as a knight1 to protect a royal virgin from injury and insult4 ',you behold before you1' said they1 'the only daughter of the ,king of ,algiers1 the betrothed bride of the son of the ,king of ,tunis4 ,we were conducting her to the court of her expecting bridegroom1 when a tempest drove us from our course1 and compelled us to take refuge on your coast4 ,be not more cruel than the tempest1 but deal nobly with that which even sea and storm have spared4' ,the ,alcayde listened to their prayers4 ,he conducted the princess and her train to the castle1 where every honor due to her rank was paid her4 ,some of her ancient attendants interceded for her liberation1 promising countless sums to be paid by her father for her ransom2 but the ,alcayde turned a deaf ear to all their golden offers4 ',she is a royal captive1' said he2 'it belongs to my sovereign alone to dispose of her4' ,after she had reposed1 therefore1 for some days at the castle1 and recovered from the fatigue and terror of the seas1 he caused her to be conducted1 with all her train1 in magnificent state to the court of ,don ,roderick4 ,the beautiful ,elyata entered ,toledo more like a triumphant sovereign than a captive4 ,a chosen band of ,christian horsemen1 splendidly armed1 appeared to wait upon her as a mere guard of honor4 ,she was surrounded by the ,moorish damsels of her train1 and followed by her own ,moslem guards1 all attired with the magnificence that had been intended to grace her arrival at the court of ,tunis4 ,the princess was arrayed in bridal robes1 woven in the most costly looms of the orient2 her diadem sparkled with diamonds1 and was decorated with the rarest plumes of the bird of paradise2 and even the silken trappings of her palfrey1 which swept the ground1 were covered with pearls and precious stones4 ,as this brilliant cavalcade crossed the bridge of the ,tagus1 all ,toledo poured forth to behold it2 and nothing was heard throughout the city but praises of the wonderful beauty of the princess of ,algiers4 ,king ,roderick came forth attended by the chivalry of his court1 to receive the royal captive4 ,his recent voluptuous life had disposed him for tender and amorous affections1 and1 at the first sight of the beautiful ,elyata1 he was enraptured with her charms4 ,seeing her face clouded with sorrow and anxiety1 he soothed her with gentle and courteous words1 and1 conducting her to a royal palace1 ',behold1' said he1 'thy habitation where no one shall molest thee2 consider thyself at home in the mansion of thy father1 and dispose of any thing according to thy will4' ,here the princess passed her time1 with the female attendants who had accompanied her from ,algiers2 and no one but the king was permitted to visit her1 who daily became more and more enamoured of his lovely captive1 and sought1 by tender assiduity1 to gain her affections4 ,the distress of the princess at her captivity was soothed by this gentle treatment4 ,she was of an age when sorrow cannot long hold sway over the heart4 ,accompanied by her youthful attendants1 she ranged the spacious apartments of the palace1 and sported among the groves and alleys of its garden4 ,every day the remembrance of the paternal home grew less and less painful1 and the king became more and more amiable in her eyes2 and when1 at length1 he offered to share his heart and throne with her1 she listened with downcast looks and kindling blushes1 but with an air of resignation4 ,one obstacle remained to the complete fruition of the monarch's wishes1 and this was the religion of the princess4 ,roderick forthwith employed the ,archbishop of ,toledo to instruct the beautiful ,elyata in the mysteries of the ,christian faith4 ,the female intellect is quick in perceiving the merits of new doctrines3 the archbishop1 therefore1 soon succeeded in converting1 not merely the princess1 but most of her attendants2 and a day was appointed for their public baptism4 ,the ceremony was performed with great pomp and solemnity1 in the presence of all the nobility and chivalry of the court4 ,the princess and her damsels1 clad in white1 walked on foot to the cathedral1 while numerous beautiful children1 arrayed as angels1 strewed the path with flowers2 and the archbishop1 meeting them at the portal1 received them1 as it were1 into the bosom of the church4 ,the princess abandoned her ,moorish appellation of ,elyata1 and was baptised by the name of ,exilona1 by which she was thenceforth called1 and has generally been known in history4 ,the nuptials of ,roderick and the beautiful convert took place shortly afterward1 and were celebrated with great magnificence4 ,there were jousts1 and tourneys1 and banquets1 and other rejoicings1 which lasted twenty days1 and were attended by the principle nobles from all parts of ,spain4 ,after these were over1 such of the attendants of the princess as refused to embrace ,christianity1 and desired to return to ,africa1 were dismissed with munificent presents2 and an embassy was sent to the ,king of ,algiers1 to inform him of the nuptials of his daughter1 and to proffer him the friendship of ,king ,roderick4 ,for a time ,don ,roderick lived happily with his young and beautiful queen1 and ,toledo was the seat of festivity and splendor4 ,the principal nobles throughout the kingdom repaired to his court to pay him homage1 and to receive his commands2 and none were more devoted in their reverence than those who were obnoxious to suspicion1 from their connection with the late king4 ,among the foremost of these was ,count ,julian1 a man destined to be infamously renowned in the dark story of his country's woes4 ,he was of one of the proudest ,gothic families1 lord of ,consuegra and ,algeziras1 and connected by marriage with ,witizia and the ,bishop ,oppas2 his wife1 the ,countess ,frandina1 being their sister4 ,in consequence of this connection1 and of his own merits1 he had enjoyed the highest dignities and commands3 being one of the ,espatorios1 or royal sword-bearers2 an office of the greatest confidence about the person of the sovereign4 ,he had1 moreover1 been intrusted with the military government of the ,spanish possessions on the ,african coast of the strait1 which at that time were threatened by the ,arabs of the ,east1 the followers of ,mahomet1 who were advancing their victorious standard to the extremity of ,western ,africa4 ,count ,julian established his seat of government at ,ceuta1 the frontier bulwark1 and one of the far-famed gates of the ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,here he boldly faced1 and held in check1 the torrent of ,moslem invasion4 ,don ,julian was a man of an active1 but irregular genius1 and a grasping ambition2 he had a love for power and grandeur1 in which he was joined by his haughty countess2 and they could ill brook the downfall of their house as threatened by the fate of ,witizia4 ,they had hastened1 therefore1 to pay their court to the newly elevated monarch1 and to assure him of their fidelity to his interests4 ,roderick was readily persuaded of the sincerity of ,count ,julian2 he was aware of his merits as a soldier and a governor1 and continued him in his important command2 honoring him with many other marks of implicit confidence4 ,count ,julian sought to confirm this confidence by every proof of devotion4 ,it was a custom among the ,goths to rear many of the children of the most illustrious families in the royal household4 ,they served as pages to the king1 and handmaids and ladies of honor to the queen1 and were instructed in all manner of accomplishments befitting their gentle blood4 ,when about to depart for ,ceuta1 to resume his command1 ,don ,julian brought his daughter ,florinda to present her to the sovereigns4 ,she was a beautiful virgin1 that had not as yet attained to womanhood4 ',i confide her to your protection1' said he to the king1 'to be unto her as a father2 and to have her trained in the paths of virtue4 ,i can leave with you no dearer pledge of my loyalty4' ,king ,roderick received the timid and blushing maiden into his paternal care2 promising to watch over her happiness with a parent's eye1 and that she should be enrolled among the most cherished attendants of the queen4 ,with this assurance of the welfare of his child1 ,count ,julian departed1 well pleased1 for his government at ,ceuta4 ,the beautiful daughter of ,count ,julian was received with great favor by the queen ,exilona1 and admitted among the noble damsels that attended upon her person4 ,here she lived in honor and apparent security1 and surrounded by innocent delights4 ,to gratify his queen1 ,don ,roderick had built for her rural recreation1 a palace without the walls of ,toledo1 on the banks of the ,tagus4 ,it stood in the midst of a garden1 adorned after the luxurious style of the east4 ,the air was perfumed by fragrant shrubs and flowers2 the groves resounded with the song of the nightingale2 while the gush of fountains and waterfalls1 and the distant murmur of the ,tagus1 made it a delightful retreat during the sultry days of summer4 ,the charm of perfect privacy also reigned throughout the place2 for the garden walls were high1 and numerous guards kept watch without to protect it from all intrusion4 ,in this delicious abode1 more befitting an oriental voluptuary than a ,gothic king1 ,don ,roderick was accustomed to while away much of that time which should have been devoted to the toilsome cares of government4 ,the very security and peace which he had produced throughout his dominions1 by his precautions to abolish the means and habitudes of war1 had effected a disastrous change in his character4 ,the hardy and heroic qualities which had conducted him to the throne1 were softened in the lap of indulgence4 ,surrounded by the pleasures of an idle and effeminate court1 and beguiled by the example of his degenerate nobles1 he gave way to a fatal sensuality that had lain dormant in his nature during the virtuous days of his adversity4 ,the mere love of female beauty had first enamoured him of ,exilona2 and the same passion1 fostered by voluptuous idleness1 now betrayed him into the commission of an act fatal to himself and ,spain4 ,the following is the story of his error1 as gathered from an old chronicle and legend4 ,in a remote part of the palace was an apartment devoted to the queen4 ,it was like an eastern harem1 shut up from the foot of man1 and where the king himself but rarely entered4 ,it had its own courts1 and gardens1 and fountains1 where the queen was wont to recreate herself with her damsels1 as she had been accustomed to do in the jealous privacy of her father's palace4 ,one sultry day1 the king1 instead of taking his siesta1 or mid-day slumber1 repaired to this apartment to seek the society of the queen4 ,in passing through a small oratory1 he was drawn by the sound of female voices to a casement overhung with myrtles and jessamines4 ,it looked into an interior garden1 or court1 set out with orange trees1 in the midst of which was a marble fountain1 surrounded by a grassy bank1 enamelled with flowers4 ,it was the high noontide of a summer day1 when1 in sultry ,spain1 the landscape trembles to the eye1 and all nature seeks repose1 except the grasshopper1 that pipes his lulling note to the herdsman as he sleeps beneath the shade4 ,around the fountain were several of the damsels of the queen1 who1 confident of the sacred privacy of the place1 were yielding in that cool retreat to the indulgence prompted by the season and the hour4 ,some lay asleep on the flowery bank2 others sat on the margin of the fountain1 talking and laughing1 as they bathed their feet in its limpid waters1 and ,king ,roderick beheld delicate limbs shining through the wave1 that might rival the marble in whiteness4 ,among the damsels was one who had come from the ,barbary coast with the queen4 ,her complexion had the dark tinge of ,mauritania1 but it was clear and transparent1 and the deep rich rose blushed through the lovely brown4 ,her eyes were black and full of fire1 and flashed from under long silken eye-lashes4 ,a sportive contest arose among the maidens1 as to the comparative beauty of the ,spanish and ,moorish forms2 but the ,mauritanian damsel revealed limbs of voluptuous symmetry that seemed to defy all rivalry4 ,the ,spanish beauties were on the point of giving up the contest1 when they bethought themselves of the young ,florinda1 the daughter of ,count ,julian1 who lay on the grassy bank1 abandoned to a summer slumber4 ,the soft glow of youth and health mantled on her cheek2 her fringed eyelashes scarcely covered their sleeping orbs2 her moist and ruby lips were lightly parted1 just revealing a gleam of her ivory teeth2 while her innocent bosom rose and fell beneath her bodice1 like the gentle swelling and sinking of a tranquil sea4 ,there was a breathing tenderness and beauty in the sleeping virgin1 that seemed to send forth sweetness like the flowers around her4 ',behold1' cried her companions exultingly1 'the champion of ,spanish beauty6' ,in their playful eagerness they half disrobed the innocent ,florinda before she was aware4 ,she awoke in time1 however1 to escape from their busy hands2 but enough of her charms had been revealed to convince the monarch that they were not to be rivalled by the rarest beauties of ,mauritania4 ,from this day the heart of ,roderick was inflamed with a fatal passion4 ,he gazed on the beautiful ,florinda with fervid desire1 and sought to read in her looks whether there was levity or wantonness in her bosom2 but the eye of the damsel ever sunk beneath his gaze1 and remained bent on the earth in virgin modesty4 ,it was in vain he called to mind the sacred trust reposed in him by ,count ,julian1 and the promise he had given to watch over his daughter with paternal care2 his heart was vitiated by sensual indulgence1 and the consciousness of power had rendered him selfish in his gratifications4 ,being one evening in the garden where the queen was diverting herself with her damsels1 and coming to the fountain where he had beheld the innocent maidens at their sport1 he could no longer restrain the passion that raged within his breast4 ,seating himself beside the fountain1 he called ,florinda to him to draw forth a thorn which had pierced his hand4 ,the maiden knelt at his feet to examine his hand1 and the touch of her slender fingers thrilled through his veins4 ,as she knelt1 too1 her amber locks fell in rich ringlets about her beautiful head1 her innocent bosom palpitated beneath the crimson boddice1 and her timid blushes increased the effulgence of her charms4 ,having examined the monarch's hand in vain1 she looked up in his face with artless perplexity4 ',senior1' said she1 ',i can find no thorn1 nor any sign of wound4' ,don ,roderick grasped her hand and pressed it to his heart4 ',it is here1 lovely ,florinda6' said he1 ',it is here6 and thou alone canst pluck it forth6' ',my lord6' exclaimed the blushing and astonished maiden4 ',florinda6' said ,don ,roderick1 'dost thou love me8' ',senior1' said she1 'my father taught me to love and reverence you4 ,he confided me to your care as one who would be as a parent to me1 when he should be far distant1 serving your majesty with life and loyalty4 ,may ,god incline your majesty ever to protect me as a father4' ,so saying1 the maiden dropped her eyes to the ground1 and continued kneeling2 but her countenance had become deadly pale1 and as she knelt she trembled4 ',florinda1' said the king1 'either thou dost not or thou wilt not understand me4 ,i would have thee love me1 not as a father1 nor as a monarch1 but as one who adores thee4 ,why dost thou start8 ,no one shall know our loves2 and1 moreover1 the love of a monarch inflicts no degradation like the love of a common man2 riches and honors attend upon it4 ,i will advance thee to rank and dignity1 and place thee above the proudest females of my court4 ,thy father1 too1 shall be more exalted and endowed than any noble in my realm4' ,the soft eye of ,florinda kindled at these words4 ',senior1' said she1 'the line ,i spring from can receive no dignity by means so vile2 and my father would rather die than purchase rank and power by the dishonor of his child4 ,but ,i see1' continued she1 'that your majesty speaks in this manner only to try me4 ,you may have thought me light and simple and unworthy to attend upon the queen4 ,i pray your majesty to pardon me1 that ,i have taken your pleasantry in such serious part4' ,in this way the agitated maiden sought to evade the addresses of the monarch2 but still her cheek was blanched1 and her lip quivered as she spake4 ,the king pressed her hand to his lips with fervor4 ',may ruin seize me1' cried he1 'if ,i speak to prove thee6 ,my heart1 my kingdom1 are at thy command4 ,only be mine1 and thou shalt rule absolute mistress of myself and my domains4' ,the damsel rose from the earth where she had hitherto knelt1 and her whole countenance glowed with virtuous indignation4 ',my ,lord1' said she1 ',i am your subject1 and in your power2 take my life if it be your pleasure2 but nothing shall tempt me to commit a crime which would be treason to the queen1 disgrace to my father1 agony to my mother1 and perdition to myself4' ,with these words she left the garden1 and the king1 for the moment1 was too much awed by her indignant virtue to oppose her departure4 ,we shall pass briefly over the succeeding events of the story of ,florinda1 about which so much has been said and sung by chronicler and bard3 for the sober page of history should be carefully chastened from all scenes that might inflame a wanton imagination2 leaving them to poems and romances1 and such-like highly seasoned works of fantasy and recreation4 ,let it suffice to say1 that ,don ,roderick pursued his suit to the beautiful ,florinda1 his passion being more and more inflamed by the resistance of the virtuous damsel4 ,at length1 forgetting what was due to helpless beauty1 to his own honor as a knight1 and his word as a sovereign1 he triumphed over her weakness by base and unmanly violence4 ,there are not wanting those who affirm that the hapless ,florinda lent a yielding ear to the solicitations of the monarch1 and her name has been treated with opprobrium in several of the ancient chronicles and legendary ballads that have transmitted1 from generation to generation1 the story of the woes of ,spain4 ,in very truth1 however1 she appears to have been a guiltless victim1 resisting1 as far as helpless female could resist1 the arts and intrigues of a powerful monarch1 who had nought to check the indulgence of his will1 and bewailing her disgrace with a poignancy that shows how dearly she had prized her honor4 ,in the first paroxysm of her grief she wrote a letter to her father1 blotted with her tears1 and almost incoherent from her agitation4 ',would to ,god1 my father1' said she1 'that the earth had opened and swallowed me ere ,i had been reduced to write these lines6 ,i blush to tell thee1 what it is not proper to conceal4 ,alas6 my father2 thou hast entrusted thy lamb to the guardianship of the lion4 ,thy daughter has been dishonored1 the royal cradle of the ,goths polluted1 and our lineage insulted and disgraced4 ,hasten1 my father1 to rescue your child from the power of the spoiler1 and to vindicate the honor of your house6' ,when ,florinda had written these lines1 she summoned a youthful esquire1 who had been a page in the service of her father4 ',saddle thy steed1' said she1 'and if thou dost aspire to knightly honor1 or hope for lady's grace--if thou hast fealty for thy lord1 or devotion to his daughter--speed swiftly upon my errand4 ,rest not1 halt not1 spare not the spur2 but hie thee day and night until thou reach the sea2 take the first bark1 and haste with sail and oar to ,ceuta1 nor pause until thou give this letter to the count my father4' ,the youth put the letter in his bosom4 ',trust me1 lady1' said he1 ',i will neither halt nor turn aside1 nor cast a look behind1 until ,i reach ,count ,julian4' ,he mounted his fleet steed1 sped his way across the bridge1 and soon left behind him the verdant valley of the ,tagus4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the heart of ,don ,roderick was not so depraved by sensuality1 but that the wrong he had been guilty of toward the innocent ,florinda1 and the disgrace he had inflicted on her house1 weighed heavy on his spirits1 and a cloud began to gather on his once clear and unwrinkled brow4 ,heaven1 at this time1 say the old ,spanish chronicles1 permitted a marvellous intimation of the wrath with which it intended to visit the monarch and his people1 in punishment of their sins2 nor are we1 say the same orthodox writers1 to startle1 and withhold our faith1 when we meet in the page of discreet and sober history with these signs and portents1 which transcend the probabilities of ordinary life2 for the revolutions of empires and the downfall of mighty kings are awful events1 that shake the physical as well as the moral world1 and are often announced by forerunning marvels and prodigious omens4 ,with such-like cautious preliminaries do the wary but credulous historiographers of yore usher in a marvellous event of prophecy and enchantment1 linked in ancient story with the fortunes of ,don ,roderick1 but which modern doubters would fain hold up as an apocryphal tradition of ,arabian origin4 ,now1 so it happened1 according to the legend1 that about this time1 as ,king ,roderick was seated one day on his throne1 surrounded by his nobles1 in the ancient city of ,toledo1 two men of venerable appearance entered the hall of audience4 ,their snowy beards descended to their breasts1 and their gray hairs were bound with ivy4 ,they were arrayed in white garments of foreign or antiquated fashion1 which swept the ground1 and were cinctured with girdles1 wrought with the signs of the zodiac1 from which were suspended enormous bunches of keys of every variety of form4 ,having approached the throne and made obeisance3 ',know1 ,o ,king1' said one of the old men1 'that in days of yore1 when ,hercules of ,libya1 surnamed the strong1 had set up his pillars at the ocean strait1 he erected a tower near to this ancient city of ,toledo4 ,he built it of prodigious strength1 and finished it with magic art1 shutting up within it a fearful secret1 never to be penetrated without peril and disaster4 ,to protect this terrible mystery he closed the entrance to the edifice with a ponderous door of iron1 secured by a great lock of steel2 and he left a command that every king who should succeed him should add another lock to the portal2 denouncing wo and destruction on him who should eventually unfold the secret of the tower4 ',the guardianship of the portal was given to our ancestors1 and has continued in our family1 from generation to generation1 since the days of ,hercules4 ,several kings1 from time to time1 have caused the gate to be thrown open1 and have attempted to enter1 but have paid dearly for their temerity4 ,some have perished within the threshold1 others have been overwhelmed with horror at tremendous sounds1 which shook the foundations of the earth1 and have hastened to re-close the door1 and secure it with its thousand locks4 ,thus1 since the days of ,hercules1 the inmost recesses of the pile have never been penetrated by mortal man1 and a profound mystery continues to prevail over this great enchantment4 ,this1 ,o ,king1 is all we have to relate2 and our errand is to entreat thee to repair to the tower and affix thy lock to the portal1 as has been done by all thy predecessors4' ,having thus said1 the ancient men made a profound reverence and departed from the presence chamber4 ,don ,roderick remained for some time lost in thought after the departure of the men3 he then dismissed all his court1 excepting the venerable ,urbino1 at that time archbishop of ,toledo4 ,the long white beard of this prelate bespoke his advanced age1 and his overhanging eye-brows showed him a man full of wary counsel4 ',father1' said the king1 ',i have an earnest desire to penetrate the mystery of this tower4' ,the worthy prelate shook his hoary head3 ',beware1 my son1' said he2 'there are secrets hidden from man for his good4 ,your predecessors for many generations have respected this mystery1 and have increased in might and empire4 ,a knowledge of it1 therefore1 is not material to the welfare of your kingdom4 ,seek not then to indulge a rash and unprofitable curiosity1 which is interdicted under such awful menaces4' ',of what importance1' cried the king1 'are the menaces of ,hercules1 the ,lybian8 ,was he not a pagan8 and can his enchantments have aught avail against a believer in our holy faith8 ,doubtless1 in this tower are locked up treasures of gold and jewels1 amassed in days of old1 the spoils of mighty kings1 the riches of the pagan world4 ,my coffers are exhausted2 ,i have need of supply2 and surely it would be an acceptable act in the eyes of ,heaven1 to draw forth this wealth which lies buried under profane and necromantic spells1 and consecrate it to religious purposes4' ,the venerable archbishop still continued to remonstrate1 but ,don ,roderick heeded not his counsel1 for he was led on by his malignant star4 ',father1' said he1 'it is in vain you attempt to dissuade me4 ,my resolution is fixed4 ,to-morrow ,i will explore the hidden mystery1 or rather the hidden treasures of this tower4' ,the morning sun shone brightly upon the cliff-built towers of ,toledo1 when ,king ,roderick issued out of the gate of the city1 at the head of a numerous train of courtiers and cavaliers1 and crossed the bridge that bestrides the deep rocky bed of the ,tagus4 ,the shining cavalcade wound up the road that leads among the mountains1 and soon came in sight of the necromantic tower4 ,of this renowned edifice marvels are related by the ancient ,arabian and ,spanish chroniclers2 'and ,i doubt much1' adds the venerable ,agpaida1 'whether many readers will not consider the whole as a cunningly devised fable1 sprung from an oriental imagination2 but it is not for me to reject a fact which is recorded by all those writers who are the fathers of our national history3 a fact1 too1 which is as well attested as most of the remarkable events in the story of ,don ,roderick4 ,none but light and inconsiderate minds1' continues the good friar1 'do hastily reject the marvellous4 ,to the thinking mind the whole world is enveloped in mystery1 and every thing is full of type and portent4 ,to such a mind the necromantic tower of ,toledo will appear as one of those wondrous monuments of the olden time2 one of those ,egyptian and ,chaldaic piles1 storied with hidden wisdom and mystic prophecy1 which have been devised in past ages1 when man yet enjoyed an intercourse with high and spiritual natures1 and when human foresight partook of divination4' ,this singular tower was round1 and of great height and grandeur2 erected upon a lofty rock1 and surrounded by crags and precipices4 ,the foundation was supported by four brazen lions1 each taller than a cavalier on horseback4 ,the walls were built of small pieces of jasper1 and various colored marbles1 not larger than a man's hand2 so subtilely joined1 however1 that but for their different hues they might be taken for one entire stone4 ,they were arranged with marvellous cunning1 so as to represent battles and warlike deeds of times and heroes long since passed away2 and the whole surface was so admirably polished that the stones were as lustrous as glass1 and reflected the rays of the sun with such resplendent brightness as to dazzle all beholders4#g #g ,from the minute account of the good friar1 drawn from the ancient chronicles1 it would appear that the walls of the tower were pictured in mosaic work4 ,king ,roderick and his courtiers arrived wondering and amazed1 at the foot of the rock4 ,here there was a narrow arched way cut through the living stone2 the only entrance to the tower4 ,it was closed by a massive iron gate1 covered with rusty locks of divers workmanship1 and in the fashion of different centuries1 which had been affixed by the predecessors of ,don ,roderick4 ,on either side of the portal stood the two ancient guardians of the tower1 laden with the keys appertaining to the locks4 ,the king alighted1 and1 approaching the portals1 ordered the guardians to unlock the gate4 ,the hoary-headed men drew back with terror4 ',alas6' cried they1 'what is it your majesty requires of us8 ,would you have the mischiefs of this tower unbound1 and let loose to shake the earth to its foundations8' ,the venerable archbishop ,urbino likewise implored him not to disturb a mystery which had been held sacred from generation to generation1 within the memory of man2 and which even ,csar himself1 when sovereign of ,spain1 had not ventured to invade4 ,the youthful cavaliers1 however1 were eager to pursue the adventure1 and encouraged him in his rash curiosity4 ',come what come may1' exclaimed ,don ,roderick1 ',i am resolved to penetrate the mystery of this tower4' ,so saying1 he again commanded the guardians to unlock the portal4 ,the ancient men obeyed with fear and trembling1 but their hands shook with age1 and when they applied the keys1 the locks were so rusted by time1 or of such strange workmanship1 that they resisted their feeble efforts2 whereupon the young cavaliers pressed forward and lent their aid4 ,still the locks were so numerous and difficult1 that with all their eagerness and strength a great part of the day was exhausted before the whole of them could be mastered4 ,when the last bolt had yielded to the key1 the guardians and the reverend archbishop again entreated the king to pause and reflect4 ',whatever is within this tower1' said they1 'is as yet harmless1 and lies bound under a mighty spell3 venture not then to open a door which may let forth a flood of evil upon the land4' ,but the anger of the king was roused1 and he ordered that the portal should be instantly thrown open4 ,in vain1 however1 did one after another exert his strength2 and equally in vain did the cavaliers unite their forces1 and apply their shoulders to the gate3 though there was neither bar nor bolt remaining1 it was perfectly immoveable4 ,the patience of the king was now exhausted1 and he advanced to apply his hand2 scarcely1 however1 did he touch the iron gate1 when it swung slowly open1 uttering1 as it were1 a dismal groan1 as it turned reluctantly upon its hinges4 ,a cold1 damp wind issued forth1 accompanied by a tempestuous sound4 ,the hearts of the ancient guardians quaked within them1 and their knees smote together2 but several of the youthful cavaliers rushed in1 eager to gratify their curiosity1 or to signalise themselves in this redoubtable enterprise4 ,they had scarcely advanced a few paces1 however1 when they recoiled1 overcome by the baleful air1 or by some fearful vision4 ,upon this1 the king ordered that fires should be kindled to dispel the darkness1 and to correct the noxious and long imprisoned air3 he then led the way into the interior2 but1 though stout of heart1 he advanced with awe and hesitation4 ,after proceeding a short distance1 he entered a hall1 or antechamber1 on the opposite side of which was a door2 and before it1 on a pedestal1 stood a gigantic figure1 of the color of bronze1 and of a terrible aspect4 ,it held a huge mace1 which it whirled incessantly1 giving such cruel and resounding blows upon the earth as to prevent all further entrance4 ,the king paused at sight of this appalling figure2 for whether it were a living being1 or a statue of magic artifice1 he could not tell4 ,on its breast was a scroll1 whereon was inscribed in large letters1 ',i do my duty4' ,after a little while ,roderick plucked up heart1 and addressed it with great solemnity3 ',whatever thou be1' said he1 'know that ,i come not to violate this sanctuary1 but to inquire into the mystery it contains2 ,i conjure thee1 therefore1 to let me pass in safety4' ,upon this the figure paused with uplifted mace1 and the king and his train passed unmolested through the door4 ,they now entered a vast chamber1 of a rare and sumptuous architecture1 difficult to be described4 ,the walls were incrusted with the most precious gems1 so joined together as to form one smooth and perfect surface4 ,the lofty dome appeared to be self-supported1 and was studded with gems1 lustrous as the stars of the firmament4 ,there was neither wood1 nor any other common or base material to be seen throughout the edifice4 ,there were no windows or rather openings to admit the day1 yet a radiant light was spread throughout the place1 which seemed to shine from the walls1 and to render every object distinctly visible4 ,in the centre of this hall stood a table of alabaster1 of the rarest workmanship1 on which was inscribed in ,greek characters1 that ,hercules ,alcides1 the ,theban ,greek1 had founded this tower in the year of the world three thousand and six4 ,upon the table stood a golden casket1 richly set round with precious stones1 and closed with a lock of mother-of-pearl2 and on the lid were inscribed the following words3 ',in this coffer is contained the mystery of the tower4 ,the hand of none but a king can open it2 but let him beware6 for marvellous events will be revealed to him1 which are to take place before his death4' ,king ,roderick boldly seized upon the casket4 ,the venerable archbishop laid his hand upon his arm1 and made a last remonstrance4 ',forbear1 my son6' said he2 'desist while there is yet time4 ,look not into the mysterious decrees of ,providence4 ,god has hidden them in mercy from our sight1 and it is impious to rend the veil by which they are concealed4' ',what have ,i to dread from a knowledge of the future8' replied ,roderick1 with an air of haughty presumption4 ',if good be destined me1 ,i shall enjoy it by anticipation3 if evil1 ,i shall arm myself to meet it4' ,so saying1 he rashly broke the lock4 ,within the coffer he found nothing but a linen cloth1 folded between two tablets of copper4 ,on unfolding it1 he beheld painted on it figures of men on horseback1 of fierce demeanor1 clad in turbans and robes of various colors1 after the fashion of the ,arabs1 with scimetars hanging from their necks1 and cross-bows at their saddle backs1 and they carried banners and pennons with divers devices4 ,above them was inscribed in ,greek characters1 ',rash monarch6 behold the men who are to hurl thee from thy throne1 and subdue thy kingdom6' ,at sight of these things the king was troubled in spirit1 and dismay fell upon his attendants4 ,while they were yet regarding the paintings1 it seemed as if the figures began to move1 and a faint sound of warlike tumult arose from the cloth1 with the clash of cymbal and bray of trumpet1 the neigh of steed and shout of army2 but all was heard indistinctly1 as if afar off1 or in a reverie or dream4 ,the more they gazed1 the plainer became the motion1 and the louder the noise2 and the linen cloth rolled forth1 and amplified and spread out1 as it were1 a mighty banner1 and filled the hall1 and mingled with the air1 until its texture was no longer visible1 or appeared as a transparent cloud3 and the shadowy figures become all in motion1 and the din and uproar became fiercer and fiercer2 and whether the whole were an animated picture1 or a vision1 or an array of embodied spirits1 conjured up by supernatural power1 no one present could tell4 ,they beheld before them a great field of battle1 where ,christians and ,moslems were engaged in deadly conflict4 ,they heard the rush and tramp of steeds1 the blast of trump and clarion1 the clash of cymbal1 and the stormy din of a thousand drums4 ,there was the clash of swords1 and maces1 and battle-axes1 with the whistling of arrows1 and the hurling of darts and lances4 ,the ,christians quailed before the foe2 the infidels pressed upon them and put them to utter rout2 the standard of the cross was cast down1 the banner of ,spain was trodden under foot1 the air resounded with shouts of triumph1 with yells of fury1 and with the groans of dying men4 ,amidst the flying squadrons1 ,king ,roderick beheld a crowned warrior1 whose back was turned toward him1 but whose armor and device were his own1 and who was mounted on a white steed that resembled his own war horse ,orelia4 ,in the confusion of the flight1 the warrior was dismounted1 and was no longer to be seen1 and ,orelia galloped wildly through the field of battle without a rider4 ,roderick stayed to see no more1 but rushed from the fatal hall1 followed by his terrified attendants4 ,they fled through the outer chamber1 where the gigantic figure with the whirling mace had disappeared from his pedestal2 and on issuing into the open air1 they found the two ancient guardians of the tower lying dead at the portal1 as though they had been crushed by some mighty blow4 ,all nature1 which had been clear and serene1 was now in wild uproar4 ,the heavens were darkened by heavy clouds2 loud bursts of thunder rent the air1 and the earth was deluged with rain and rattling hail4 ,the king ordered that the iron portal should be closed2 but the door was immoveable1 and the cavaliers were dismayed by the tremendous turmoil1 and the mingled shouts and groans that continued to prevail within4 ,the king and his train hastened back to ,toledo1 pursued and pelted by the tempest4 ,the mountains shook and echoed with the thunder1 trees were uprooted and blown down1 and the ,tagus raged and roared and flowed above its banks4 ,it seemed to the affrighted courtiers as if the phantom legions of the tower had issued forth and mingled with the storm2 for amidst the claps of thunder and the howling of the wind1 they fancied they heard the sound of the drums and trumpets1 the shouts of armies and the rush of steeds4 ,thus beaten by tempest1 and overwhelmed with horror1 the king and his courtiers arrived at ,toledo1 clattering across the bridge of the ,tagus1 and entering the gate in headlong confusion1 as though they had been pursued by an enemy4 ,in the morning the heavens were again serene1 and all nature was restored to tranquillity4 ,the king1 therefore1 issued forth with his cavaliers and took the road to the tower1 followed by a great multitude1 for he was anxious once more to close the iron door1 and shut up those evils that threatened to overwhelm the land4 ,but lo6 on coming in sight of the tower1 a new wonder met their eyes4 ,an eagle appeared high in the air1 seeming to descend from heaven4 ,he bore in his beak a burning brand1 and lighting on the summit of the tower1 fanned the fire with his wings4 ,in a little while the edifice burst forth into a blaze as though it had been built of rosin1 and the flames mounted into the air with a brilliancy more dazzling than the sun2 nor did they cease until every stone was consumed and the whole was reduced to a heap of ashes4 ,then there came a vast flight of birds1 small of size and sable of hue1 darkening the sky like a cloud2 and they descended and wheeled in circles round the ashes1 causing so great a wind with their wings that the whole was borne up into the air and scattered throughout all ,spain1 and wherever a particle of those ashes fell it was as a stain of blood4 ,it is furthermore recorded by ancient men and writers of former days1 that all those on whom this dust fell were afterwards slain in battle1 when the country was conquered by the ,arabs1 and that the destruction of this necromantic tower was a sign and token of the approaching perdition of ,spain4 ',let all those1' concludes the cautious friar1 'who question the verity of this most marvellous occurrence1 consult those admirable sources of our history1 the chronicle of the ,moor ,rasis1 and the work entitled ',the ,fall of ,spain1' written by the ,moor1 ,abulcasim ,tarif ,abentarique4 ,let them consult1 moreover1 the venerable historian ,bleda1 and the cloud of other ,catholic ,spanish writers1 who have treated of this event1 and they will find ,i have related nothing that has not been printed and published under the inspection and sanction of our holy mother church4 ,god alone knoweth the truth of these things2 ,i speak nothing but what has been handed down to me from times of old4' ,,anacreontic4 ,greek3 ,to de cheilos1 ouk et oida ,tini moi trop poiseis4 ,maiden6 first did ,nature seek ,lilies for thy spotless cheek2 ,when with roses came she next ,half delighted1 yet more vex'd1 ,for the lilies there1 to see ,blushing at their purity6 ,since her labor now was lost1 ,roses to the wind she tost4 ,one1 a bud of smiling ,june1 ,falling on thy lips1 as soon ,left its color1 and in death ,willed its fragrance to thy breath6 ,then two drops of crystalled dew ,from the hyacinth's deep hue1 ,brought she for thine eyes of blue2 ,and lest they should miss the sun1 ,bade thy soul to shine thereon4 ,lilies1 ,nature gave thy face-- ,say1 thy heart do lilies grace8 ,st4 ,paul's ,college4 ,g4 ,h4 ,h4 ,,literary ,,notices4 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol1 ,,in ,,prose3 ,being a ,ghost-,story of ,christmas4 ,by ,,charles ,,dickens4 ,new-,york3 ,,harper ,,and ,,brothers4 ,if in every alternate work that ,mr4 ,,dickens were to send to the ,london press he should find occasion to indulge in ridicule against alleged ,american peculiarities1 or broad caricatures of our actual vanities1 or other follies1 we could with the utmost cheerfulness pass them by unnoted and uncondemned1 if he would only now and then present us with an intellectual creation so touching and beautiful as the one before us4 ,indeed1 we can with truth say1 that in our deliberate judgment1 the ',christmas ,carol' is the most striking1 the most picturesque1 the most truthful1 of all the limnings which have proceeded from its author's pen4 ,there is much mirth in the book1 says a competent ,english critic1 but more wisdom2 wisdom of that kind which men possess who have gazed thoughtfully but kindly on human life1 and have pierced deeper than their fellows into all the sunny nooks and dark recesses of the human breast4 ,the barbarous notion has long been exploded1 that comic writers were only to be esteemed for their jests1 and useful for provoking laughter4 ,,cervantes1 first among the moderns1 sent it out of fashion1 and blessed that union of wit1 sense1 and pathos1 which so many renowned writers have since confirmed2 until it has come to be acknowledged1 that rich genuine humor is rarely an inmate of the mind1 if there be not a corresponding depth of earnestness and feeling in the heart4 ,many of ,,dickens' writings1 it is justly claimed1 exhibit this fine1 healthy1 benevolent spirit4 ',his sympathy for human suffering is strong and pure1 and he reserves it not for imaginary and fictitious distress1 but for the real grinding sorrows of life4' ,and this sympathy is more finely displayed in the work under notice1 than in any of his previous productions4 ,the design is very fanciful1 and there is crowded into it1 brief as it is1 a world of character and observation4 ,it is truly a reflection of life in miniature4 ,before proceeding to a few illustrative extracts1 we shall avail ourselves in part of a clear synopsis of the inception and progress of the story1 from the pen of a ,london contemporary4 ,,scrooge is a very rich citizen2 a 'squeezing1 grinding1 grasping1 scraping1 clutching1 covetous old sinner4' ,he has lost all recollection of what he once was1 and what he once felt2 is dead to all kindly impulses1 and proof against the most moving tale4 ,he is almost as keen and gruff as old ,,ralph ,,nickelby1 to whom he bears a strong family resemblance1 and uses his poor clerk1 ,,bob ,,cratchit1 just as badly1 and has as little feeling for his merry-hearted nephew1 who has married for love4 ,the 'carol' begins on ,christmas-eve4 ,,scrooge calls his nephew a lunatic for wishing him ',a merry ,christmas6' and sends him home1 sad as harsh words can make him4 ,he keeps his poor shivering clerk in a small tank-like ground-room till the last minute of his stipulated time1 and then dismisses him with an angry growl4 ,he goes to his usual melancholy tavern to eat his melancholy dinner1 amuses himself in the evening with his banker's book1 and then retires to his dreary chambers4 ,he had once a partner1 a counterpart of himself1 who has been dead for many a year2 and while sitting in his lonely room1 over a low fire1 the ghost of the deceased partner enters1 although the door is double-locked4 ,he wears a heavy chain1 forged of keys and safes2 and1 like ,hamlet's ghost1 tells of the heavy penance he is doomed to suffer in spirit for sins committed in the flesh4 ,he has come to warn his partner1 and to give him a chance of amendment4 ,he tells him he will be visited by three ,spirits1 on the three following nights1 and bids him mark well what they shall disclose4 ,,scrooge instantly falls asleep1 and does not wake till the appointed hour4 ,the three spirits are of ,christmas ,past1 ,christmas ,present1 and ,christmas to ,come4 ,the ghost of ,christmas ,past stands by ,,scrooge',s bedside1 of an uncertain form1 though the belt round its body is wondrous light1 and a flame shoots up from its head4 ,yet the figure fluctuates in distinctness1 now one part being visible and now another4 ,the spirit seizes the hand of ,,scrooge1 and they float through the air together4 ,the old man is taken to the haunts of his childhood1 and he is conscious of 'a thousand odors floating in the air1 each one connected with a thousand thoughts1 and hopes1 and joys1 and cares long1 long forgotten4' ,each circumstance of the time past is restored4 ,the village school2 a boy left deserted in the school-room1 whom ,,scrooge recognises as his former self reading ',robinson ,crusoe2' till at last a lovely girl1 who throws her arms round the boy's neck1 and bids him come home to a 'merry1 merry ,christmas4' ,then the scene changes1 and ,,scrooge is once more in the house of the kind-hearted master of his youth1 who loved to keep ,christmas as it was kept in the olden time1 and he recognises himself the most joyous of the joyous group4 ,then comes the scene of his manhood1 when he deserted his betrothed for a wealthier bride2 and last1 he views the girl he had deserted1 the mother of a happy blooming family4 ,this picture is delightfully sketched2 it is enough to make a bachelor in love with wedlock4 ,the scene is too affecting for the changed and worldly miser2 he implores to be removed from the familiar place2 he wrestles with the spirit1 and awakened by the struggle1 finds himself once more in his own room1 and in darkness4 ,again he has a long sleep4 ,christmas ,present comes in the shape of a giant1 with a holly-green robe4 ,,scrooge perceives him seated in his room1 with his noble head crowned with holly wreath studded with icicles1 reaching to the ceiling4 ,his throne is a wine-cask and his foot-stool a twelfth-cake4 ,in his hand he bears a blazing torch1 from which he sprinkles down gladness upon every threshhold he enters4 ,an immense fire glows and crackles in the grate1 the walls and ceiling are hung with living green1 and all around are heaped up the choice provisions collected to make ,christmas glad4 ,the giant leads ,,scrooge forth4 ,they pass through streets and lanes1 with every house bearing token of rejoicing by its roaring fire or its sprig of holly1 till they come to the dwelling of poor ,,bob ,,cratchit1 old ,,scrooge',s clerk4 ,and here ensues a picture worthy of ,,wilkie in his best days3 ',perhaps it was the pleasure the good ,spirit had in showing off his power1 or else it was his own kind1 generous1 hearty nature1 and his sympathy with all poor men1 that led him straight to ,scrooge's clerk's2 for there he went1 and took ,scrooge with him1 holding to his robe2 and on the threshhold of the door the ,spirit smiled1 and stopped to bless ,bob ,cratchit's dwelling with the sprinkling of his torch4 ,think of that6 ,bob had but fifteen ',bob' a week himself2 he pocketed on ,saturdays but fifteen copies of his ,christian name2 and yet the ,ghost of ,christmas ,present blessed his four-roomed house6 ',then up rose ,mrs4 ,cratchit1 ,cratchit's wife1 dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown1 but brave in ribands1 which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence2 and she laid the cloth1 assisted by ,belinda ,cratchit1 second of her daughters1 also brave in ribands2 while ,master ,peter ,cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes1 and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt-collar 7,bob's private property1 conferred upon his son and heir in honor of the day7 into his mouth1 rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired1 and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable ,parks4 ,and now two smaller ,cratchits1 boy and girl1 came tearing in1 screaming that outside the baker's they had smelt the goose1 and known it for their own2 and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage-and-onions1 these young ,cratchits danced about the table1 and exalted ,master ,peter ,cratchit to the skies1 while he 7not proud1 although his collars nearly choked him7 blew the fire1 until the slow potatoes1 bubbling up1 knocked proudly at the sauce-pan lid to be let out and peeled4 '',what has ever got your precious father1 then8' said ,mrs4 ,cratchit4 ',and your brother1 ,tiny ,tim2 and ,martha warn't as late last ,christmas ,day by half-an-hour6' '',here's ,martha1 mother6' said a girl1 appearing as she spoke4 '',here's ,martha1 mother6' cried the two young ,cratchits4 ',hurrah6 ,there's such a goose1 ,martha6' '',why1 bless your heart alive1 my dear1 how late you are6' said ,mrs4 ,cratchit1 kissing her a dozen times1 and taking off her shawl and bonnet for her1 with officious zeal4 '',we'd a deal of work to finish up last night1' replied the girl1 'and had to clear away this morning1 mother6' '',well6 ,never mind so long as you are come1' said ,mrs4 ,cratchit4 ',sit ye down before the fire1 my dear1 and have a warm1 ,lord bless ye6' '',no1 no6 ,there's father coming1' cried the two young ,cratchits1 who were every where at once4 ',hide1 ,martha1 hide6' ',so ,martha hid herself1 and in came little ,bob1 the father1 with at least three feet of comforter1 exclusive of the fringe1 hanging down before him2 and his thread-bare clothes darned up and brushed1 to look seasonable2 and ,tiny ,tim upon his shoulder4 ,alas for ,tiny ,tim1 he bore a little crutch1 and had his limbs supported by an iron frame6 '',why1 where's our ,martha8' cried ,bob ,cratchit looking round4 '',not coming1' said ,mrs4 ,cratchit4 '',not coming6' said ,bob1 with a sudden declension in his high spirits2 for he had been ,tim's blood horse all the way from church1 and had come home rampant4 ',not coming upon ,christmas ,day6' ',martha didn't like to see him disappointed1 if it were only in joke2 so she came out prematurely from behind the closet door1 and ran into his arms1 while the two young ,cratchits hustled ,tiny ,tim1 and bore him off into the wash-house1 that he might hear the pudding singing in the copper4 '',and how did little ,tim behave8' asked ,mrs4 ,cratchit1 when she had rallied ,bob on his credulity1 and ,bob had hugged his daughter to his heart's content4 '',as good as gold1' said ,bob1 'and better4 ,somehow he gets thoughtful sitting by himself so much1 and thinks the strangest things you ever heard4 ,he told me1 coming home1 that he hoped the people saw him in the church1 because he was a cripple1 and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon ,christmas ,day who made lame beggars walk1 and blind men see4' ',bob's voice was tremulous when he told them this1 and trembled more when he said that ,tiny ,tim was growing strong and hearty4 ',his active little crutch was heard upon the floor1 and back came ,tiny ,tim before another word was spoken1 escorted by his brother and sister to his stool beside the fire2 and while ,bob1 turning up his cuffs1 as if1 poor fellow1 they were capable of being made less shabby1 compounded some hot mixture in a jug with gin and lemons1 and stirred it round and round1 and put it on the hob to simmer2 ,master ,peter and the two ubiquitous young ,cratchits went to fetch the goose1 with which they soon returned in high procession4 ',such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds2 a feathered phenomenon1 to which a black swan was a matter of course3 and1 in truth1 it was something very like it in that house4 ,mrs4 ,cratchit made the gravy 7ready before-hand in a little saucepan7 hissing hot2 ,master ,peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour2 ,miss ,belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce2 ,martha dusted the hot plates2 ,bob took ,tiny ,tim beside him in a tiny corner at the table2 the two young ,cratchits set chairs for every body1 not forgetting themselves1 and1 mounting guard upon their posts1 crammed spoons into their mouths1 lest they should shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped4 ,at last the dishes were set on1 and grace was said4 ,it was succeeded by a breathless pause1 as ,mrs4 ,cratchit1 looking slowly all along the carving-knife1 prepared to plunge it in the breast2 but when she did1 and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth1 one murmur of delight arose all round the board1 and even ,tiny ,tim1 excited by the two young ,cratchits1 beat on the table with the handle of his knife1 and feebly cried ,hurrah6 ',there never was such a goose4 ,bob said he didn't believe there ever was such a goose cooked4 ,its tenderness and flavor1 size and cheapness1 were the themes of universal admiration4 ,eked out by the apple-sauce and mashed potatoes1 it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family2 indeed1 as ,mrs4 ,cratchit said with great delight 7surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish17 they hadn't ate it all at last6 ,yet every one had had enough1 and the youngest ,cratchits in particular1 were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows6 ,but now1 the plates being changed by ,miss ,belinda1 ,mrs4 ,cratchit left the room alone--too nervous to bear witnesses--to take the pudding up1 and bring it in4 ',suppose it should not be done enough6 ,suppose it should break in turning out6 ,suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard1 and stolen it1 while they were merry with the goose3 a supposition at which the two young ,cratchits became livid6 ,all sorts of horrors were supposed4 ',hallo6 ,a great deal of steam6 ,the pudding was out of the copper4 ,a smell like a washing-day6 ,that was the cloth4 ,a smell like an eating house1 and a pastry cook's next door to each other1 with a laundress's next door to that8 ,that was the pudding4 ,in half a minute ,mrs4 ,cratchit entered3 flushed1 but smiling proudly3 with the pudding1 like a speckled cannon-ball1 so hard and firm1 blazing in half-a-quartern of ignited brandy1 and bedight with ,christmas holly stuck into the top4 '',oh1 a wonderful pudding6' ,bob ,cratchit said1 and calmly too1 that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by ,mrs4 ,cratchit since their marriage4 ,mrs4 ,cratchit said that now the weight was off her mind1 she would confide she had had her doubts about the quantity of flour4 ,everybody had something to say about it1 but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family4 ,it would have been flat heresy to do so4 ,any ,cratchit would have blushed to hint at such a thing4 ',at last the dinner was all done1 the cloth was cleared1 the hearth swept1 and the fire made up4 ,the compound in the jug being tasted and considered perfect1 apples and oranges were put upon the table1 and a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire4 ,then all the ,cratchit family drew round the hearth1 in what ,bob ,cratchit called a circle1 meaning half a one2 and at ,bob ,cratchit's elbow stood the family display of glass2 two tumblers1 and a custard-cup without a handle4 ',these held the hot stuff from the jug1 however1 as well as golden goblets would have done3 and ,bob served it out with beaming looks1 while the chestnuts on the fire sputtered and crackled noisily4 ,then ,bob proposed3 '',a ,merry ,christmas to us all1 my dears4 ,god bless us6' ',which all the family re-echoed4 '',god bless us every one6' said ,tiny ,tim1 last of all4 ',he sat very close to his father's side1 upon his little stool4 ,bob held his withered little hand in his1 as if he loved the child1 and wished to keep him by his side1 and dreaded that he might be taken from him4' ,could any thing be more life-like1 more beautiful1 more touching1 than this description8 ,but let us skip the journeyings of ,christmas ,present for a moment1 that we may accompany ,christmas to ,come to the dwelling of poor ,,bob ,,cratchit3 ',the ,ghost conducted him through several streets familiar to his feet2 and as they went along1 ,scrooge looked here and there to find himself1 but nowhere was he to be seen4 ,they entered poor ,bob ,cratchit's house2 the dwelling he had visited before2 and found the mother and the children seated round the fire4 ',quiet4 ,very quiet4 ,the noisy little ,cratchits were as still as statues in one corner1 and sat looking up at ,peter1 who had a book before him4 ,the mother and her daughters were engaged in sewing4 ,but surely they were very quiet6 '',and ,he took a child1 and set him in the midst of them4' ',where had ,scrooge heard those words8 ,he had not dreamed them4 ,the boy must have read them out1 as he and the ,spirit crossed the threshhold4 ,why did he not go on8 ',the mother laid her work upon the table1 and put her hand up to her face4 '',the color hurts my eyes1' she said4 ',the color8 ,ah1 poor ,tiny ,tim6 '',they're better now again1' said ,cratchit's wife4 ',it makes them weak by candle-light2 and ,i wouldn't show weak eyes to your father when he comes home1 for the world4 ,it must be near his time4' '',past it1 rather1' ,peter answered1 shutting up his book4 ',but ,i think he's walked a little slower than he used1 these few last evenings1 mother4' ',they were very quiet again4 ,at last she said1 and in a steady1 cheerful voice1 that only faltered once3 '',i have known him walk with--,i have known him walk with ,tiny ,tim upon his shoulder1 very fast1 indeed4' '',and so have ,i1' cried ,peter4 ',often4' '',and so have ,i6' exclaimed another4 ,so had all4 '',but he was very light to carry1' she resumed1 intent upon her work1 'and his father loved him so1 that it was no trouble--no trouble4 ,and there is your father at the door6' ',she hurried out to meet him2 and ,bob in his comforter--he had need of it1 poor fellow--came in4 ,his tea was ready for him on the hob1 and they all tried who should help him to it most4 ,then the two young ,cratchits got upon his knees and laid1 each child a little cheek1 against his face1 as if they said1 ',don't mind it1 father4 ,don't be grieved6' ',bob was very cheerful with them1 and spoke pleasantly to all the family4 ,he looked at the work upon the table1 and praised the industry and speed of ,mrs4 ,cratchit and the girls4 ,they would be done long before ,sunday1 he said4 '',sunday6 ,you went to-day then1 ,robert8' said his wife4 '',yes1 my dear1' returned ,bob4 ',i wish you could have gone4 ,it would have done you good to see how green a place it is4 ,but you'll see it often4 ,i promised him that ,i would walk there on a ,sunday4 ,my little1 little child6' cried ,bob4 ',my little child6' ',he broke down all at once4 ,he couldn't help it4 ,if he could have helped it1 he and his child would have been further apart1 perhaps1 than they were4 ',he left the room1 and went up stairs into the room above1 which was lighted cheerfully1 and hung with ,christmas4 ,there was a chair set close beside the child1 and there were signs of some one having been there lately4 ,poor ,bob sat down in it1 and when he had thought a little and composed himself1 he kissed the little face4 ,he was reconciled to what had happened1 and went down again quite happy4' ',let not that man be trusted' who can read this affecting picture of parental love for a poor little cripple-boy1 without feeling the tear-drops swelling to his eyes4 ,but let us return and take one more excursion with the former ,spirit4 ,observe the faithfulness and the range of the writer's imagination3 ',and now1 without a word of warning from the ,ghost1 they stood upon a bleak and desert moor1 where monstrous masses of rude stone were cast about1 as though it were the burial-place of giants2 and water spread itself wheresoever it listed--or would have done so1 but for the frost that held it prisoner2 and nothing-grew but moss and furze1 and coarse1 rank grass4 ,down in the west the setting sun had left a streak of fiery red1 which glared upon the desolation for an instant1 like a sullen eye1 and frowning lower1 lower1 lower yet1 was lost in the thick gloom of darkest night4 '',what place is this8' asked ,scrooge4 '',a place where ,miners live1 who labor in the bowels of the earth1' returned the ,spirit4 ',but they know me4 ,see6' ',a light shone from the window of a hut1 and swiftly they advanced toward it4 ,passing through the wall of mud and stone1 they found a cheerful company assembled round a glowing fire4 ,an old1 old man and woman1 with their children and their children's children1 and another generation beyond that1 all decked out gaily in their holiday attire4 ,the old man1 in a voice that seldom rose above the howling of the wind upon the barren waste1 was singing them a ,christmas song2 it had been a very old song when he was a boy2 and from time to time they all joined in the chorus4 ,so surely as they raised their voices1 the old man got quite blithe and loud2 and so surely as they stopped1 his vigor sank again4 ',the ,spirit did not tarry here1 but bade ,scrooge hold his robe1 and passing on above the moor1 sped whither8 ,not to sea8 ,to sea4 ,to ,scrooge's horror1 looking back1 he saw the last of the land1 a frightful range of rocks1 behind them2 and his ears were deafened by the thundering of water1 as it rolled1 and roared1 and raged among the dreadful caverns it had worn1 and fiercely tried to undermine the earth4 ',built upon a dismal reef of sunken rocks1 some league or so from the shore1 on which the waters chafed and dashed1 the wild year through1 there stood a solitary lighthouse4 ,great heaps of seaweed clung to its base1 and storm-birds--born of the wind one might suppose1 as sea-weed of the water--rose and fell about it1 like the waves they skimmed4 ',but even here1 two men who watched the light had made a fire1 that through the loophole in the thick stone wall shed out a ray of brightness on the awful sea4 ,joining their horny hands over the rough table at which they sat1 they wished each other a ,merry ,christmas in their can of grog2 and one of them--the elder1 too1 with his face all damaged and scarred with hard weather1 as the figurehead of an old ship might be--struck up a sturdy song that was like a ,gale in itself4 ',again the ,ghost sped on1 above the black and heaving sea--on1 on--until1 being far away1 as he told ,scrooge1 from any shore1 they lighted on a ship4 ,they stood beside the helmsman at the wheel1 the look-out in the bow1 the officers who had the watch2 dark1 ghostly figures in their several stations3 but every man among them hummed a ,christmas tune1 or had a ,christmas thought1 or spoke below his breath to his companion of some bygone ,christmas ,day1 with homeward hopes belonging to it4 ,and every man on board1 waking or sleeping1 good or bad1 had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day in the year2 and had shared to some extent in its festivities3 and had remembered those he cared for at a distance1 and had known that they delighted to remember him4' ,the second of these spirits accompanies ,,scrooge to a scene that is well worth seeing1 and the like of which many of our readers have doubtless often encountered--a regular ,christmas frolic2 in the present instance at the residence of his nephew1 who has a sister1 a lovely1 plump damsel1 with a lace tucker3 she was pretty1 exceedingly pretty4 ',with a dimpled1 surprised-looking1 capital face2 a ripe little mouth1 that seemed made to be kissed1 as no doubt it was2 all kinds of good little dots about her chin1 that melted into one another when she laughed2 and the sunniest pair of eyes you ever saw in any little creature's head4 ,altogether she was what you would have called provoking1 you know2 but satisfactory1 too4 ,oh1 perfectly satisfactory6' ,is not the following a most glowing sketch of a well known pastime8 ',but they didn't devote the whole evening to music4 ,after a while they played at forfeits2 for it is good to be children sometimes1 and never better than at ,christmas1 when its mighty ,founder was a child himself4 ,stop6 ,there was first a game at blindman's buff4 ,of course there was4 ,and ,i no more believe ,topper was really blind than ,i believe he had eyes in his boots4 ,my opinion is1 that it was a done thing between him and ,scrooge's nephew2 and that the ,ghost of ,christmas ,present knew it4 ,the way he went after that plump sister in the lace tucker1 was an outrage on the credulity of human nature4 ,knocking down the fire-irons1 tumbling over the chairs1 bumping up against the piano1 smothering himself among the curtains1 wherever she went1 there went he4 ,he always knew where the plump sister was4 ,he wouldn't catch any body else4 ,if you had fallen up against him1 as some of them did1 and stood there2 he would have made a feint endeavoring to seize you1 which would have been an affront to your understanding3 and would instantly have sidled off in the direction of the plump sister4 ,she often cried out that it wasn't fair2 and it really was not4 ,but when1 at last1 he caught her2 when1 in spite of all her silken rustlings1 and her rapid flutterings past him1 he got her into a corner whence there was no escape2 then his conduct was the most execrable4 ,for his pretending not to know her2 his pretending that it was necessary to touch her head-dress1 and farther to assure himself of her identity by pressing a certain ring upon her finger1 and a certain chain about her neck2 was vile1 monstrous6 ,no doubt she told him her opinion of it1 when1 another blindman being in office1 they were so very confidential together1 behind the curtains4' ,the ,ghost of ,christmas to ,come is the third spirit4 ,it is a stately figure1 surrounded in black and impenetrable drapery4 ,it leads ,,scrooge into the heart of the city1 and he hears his acquaintance talking jestingly of one departed2 into the ,exchange1 and he sees another standing against his peculiar pillar2 into a haunt of infamy1 where wretches are dividing the spoils and hoardings of the dead2 into a wretched room1 where a corpse lies shrouded1 whose face ,scrooge dares not uncover2 into dwellings made miserable by the grasping avarice of those who had wealth they could not use2 into his nephew's house1 shorn of its comforts1 where the inmates1 care-worn and weary1 are wringing their hands with distress2 into poor ,,bob ,,cratchit',s abode1 made cheerless by death2 and lastly1 into a sad churchyard1 where1 on the stone of a neglected grave1 is inscribed his own name6 ,he implores the spirit to say whether these shadows may not be changed by an altered life4 ,its trembling hand seems to give consent4 ,he pleads earnestly for a more decisive sign1 and while he does so1 the phantom dwindles down into a bed-post1 and ,,scrooge sits upright in his bed4 ,who cannot imagine the conclusion8 ,it is broad day4 ,he looks out of the window3 the bells are ringing2 the people are going to church2 all proclaim it as ,christmas ,day4 ,the future is yet before him1 and he is resolved to make the most of it4 ,the prize turkey is got in haste from the neighboring poulterer's1 and sent by a cab to ,,bob ,,cratchit',s2 and ,,scrooge hastens off to his nephew's to dinner1 where he finds the vision of the spirit realized4 ,,scrooge from that hour is another and a better man4 ,we have in conclusion but three words to say to every reader of the ,,knickerbocker who may peruse our notice of this production3 ,,read ,,the ,,work4 ,,wanderings ,,of ,a ,,journeyman ,,tailor ,,through ,,europe ,,and ,,the ,,east4 ,between the years #ahbd and #ahdj4 ,by ,p4 ,d4 ,,holthaus1 ,journeyman ,tailor1 from ,werdohl1 in ,westphalia4 ,translated from the third ,german edition1 by ,,william ,,howitt4 ,j4 ,,winchester3 ',new ,world' ,press4 ,an air of great simplicity and truth pervades this wander-book of the ,german schneider4 ,mr4 ,,howitt tells us1 that when in the autumn of #ahdj he returned to his native village1 a great reputation preceded him1 and all came1 eager to see the brave traveller1 and to listen to the relation of his adventures4 ,he never sought purposely to turn conversation upon the subject of his travels1 nor to impress an idea of his own importance2 but when he was drawn into discourse1 it was speedily found that he had noted and deeply impressed on his mind every thing with a truly admirable interest1 and an acute spirit of observation1 for one of his rank and education2 that he had not merely passed through the countries1 but had gleaned valuable matter on his journey2 various things which he had brought with him testified this interest1 such as different kinds of coin1 engravings1 plans of cities1 etc4 ,we have found1 on an examination necessarily cursory1 the commendatory remarks of the ,berlin ,gesellschafter upon this work to be well deserved3 ',we see in the individual expressions almost every where the evidence of its being the production of immediate observation4 ,there prevails through the whole a noble simplicity and singleness of purpose1 a genuinely ,german sound mode of thinking2 here and there is not wanting a humorous and pithy remark4 ,the author sees in every place nature and men without spectacles1 and thence it arises that we acquire from his book a more living and actual view of foreign countries1 especially of ,egypt1 ,palestine1 and ,turkey1 than was the case from the travelled labors of many a learned and celebrated man4 ,frequently1 nay almost always1 it is a fact1 that the learned are destitute of the opportunity of acquiring a knowledge of the real life of the people1 while it is exactly here that the greatest peculiarity of the manners and customs of foreigners is to be found4 ,our honest hand-worker lived among the people1 and therefore possessed the best means to describe them in graphic characters4' ,there is something very forcible and comprehensive in the subjoined passage from the author's preface4 ,it is indeed a sort of compendium of the most interesting portion of the writer's journeyings3 ',from my youth up1 it was my most living desire to see the world4 ,when ,i heard or read of foreign lands1 ,i became sad at heart1 and thought3 ',wert thou but of years that thou couldst travel6' ,now are all the wishes of my youth fulfilled4 ,i have made the attempt by land and water1 and that in three quarters of the world4 ,i have wandered several times through ,,germany1 ,,poland1 ,,hungary1 and ,,wallachia2 ,i was a long time in ,,budapest and ,,constantinople2 and undertook1 with the money which ,i had saved there1 a pilgrimage through ,,egypt to the ,,holy ,,land4 ,i kneeled at the ,,birth-,,place and the ,,sepulchre of the ,,saviour2 stood in adoration on the holy ,,mount ,,zion1 on ,,tabor1 ,,golgotha1 and the ,,mount ,,of ,,olives2 bathed in ,,jordan2 washed myself in the ,,lake ,,of ,,gennesareth2 looked in vain around me on the ,,dead ,,sea for living objects2 was in the workshop of ,,st4 ,,joseph2 and in many other holy places of which the sacred ,scriptures make mention4 ,thence ,i returned to ,constantinople1 and betook myself through ,athens1 where ,i worked nearly a year1 and thence through ,italy1 ,france1 and ,belgium1 homeward to my ,fatherland4' ,the first ,german edition of fifteen hundred copies of the work was at once exhausted2 a second speedily followed2 a third was soon announced2 and the fourth is doubtless ere this before a wide class of ,german readers4 ,we cheerfully commend the book to the public acceptance4 ,,benthamiana3 ,,or ,,select ,,extracts ,,from ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,jeremy ,,bentham4 ,with an ,outline ,opinion on the ,principal ,subjects discussed in his ,works4 ,in one volume1 pp4 #ddf4 ,philadelphia3 ,,lea ,,and ,,blanchard4 ,new-,york3 ,,wiley ,,and ,,putnam4 ,this work contains a copious selection of those passages in the works of ,,jeremy ,,bentham which appear to be chiefly distinguished for merit of a simply rhetorical character2 which1 appearing often in the midst of long and arduous processes of reasoning1 or in the course of elaborate descriptions of minute practical arrangements1 demanding from an active mind severe thought and unflagging attention1 have scarcely had their due weight with the general reader1 nor secured their just meed of admiration4 ,he was singularly careless1 writes his editor1 in distributing his pleasing illustrations of playfulness1 or pathos1 or epigrammatic expression4 ,his 'mission' he considered to be that of an instructor and improver2 and the flowers which1 equally with more substantial things1 were the produce of his vigorous intellect1 he looked upon as scarcely worthy of passing attention1 and deserving of no more notice than to be permitted to grow wherever the more valued objects of his labors left them a little room4 ,the volume comprehends a vast variety of sound opinion1 and able though brief argument upon themes which relate to the social1 moral and religious well-being of mankind4 ,touching the style of the writer1 as evinced in these selections1 we should say that it was formed mainly upon a due avoidance of prolixity1 7an observance not always characteristic of ,,bentham',s writings17 concerning which he himself very justly remarks3 ',prolixity may be where redundancy is not4 ,prolixity may arise not only from the multifarious insertion of unnecessary articles1 but from the conservation of too many necessary ones in a sentence2 as a workman may be overladen not only with rubbish1 which is of no use for him to carry1 but with materials the most useful and necessary1 when heaped up in loads too heavy for him at once4' ,a useful hint this1 to unpractised writers4 ,,the ,,correspondence ,,between ,,burns ,,and ,,clarinda4 ,with a ,memoir of ,mrs4 ,m',,lehose1 7,,clarinda47 ,arranged and edited by her ,grandson1 ,w4 ,c4 ,m',,lehose4 ,in one volume1 pp4 #bic4 ,new-,york3 ,r4 ,p4 ,,bixby ,,and ,,company4 ,we have no doubt that the contents of this well-executed little volume are altogether authentic2 full particulars relative to the custody and authenticity of the correspondence and the state of preservation of the original manuscripts being given in the preface4 ,but we are very sorry to say so much against the book as this fact implies4 ,it would be far better for the reputation of the immortal ,bard of ,scotland1 if some hereditary friend1 chary of his undying fame1 were to come before the public with a pamphlet disproving entirely the agency of ,,burns in this correspondence4 ,to those who are acquainted with previous records in the private history of the world-renowned poet1 it is painful to convict him1 out of his own mouth1 of duplicity in matters of the heart2 of insincerity in the profession of simultaneous passion for various lovers2 and of other acts which are alike indefensible and disreputable4 ,we must needs marvel too that the ',,clarinda' of the correspondence should have been doomed by a near descendant to the exposure inseparable from the revelations of this volume4 ,that the treatment which she received at the hands of one whose duty it was to 'love1 cherish1 and protect' her1 was equally undeserved and inexcusable1 we can well believe2 but that the 'platonic attachment1' which sprung up in a night1 like the gourd of ,,jonah1 and gradually waxed to 'passion at fever-heat1' was justified by these facts1 or sanctioned by propriety1 or that its history in detail is calculated to elevate the character of woman1 or exercise a healthful moral influence1 we have just as little reason to doubt4 ,there is a sprinkling of verse in an appendix1 which ,,burns was good enough to praise4 ,it is of that kind 'which neither gods nor men permit2' and is conclusive1 not of ,,burns',s judgment1 but of his 'tender' sycophancy4 ,,editor',s ,,table4 ,,some ',,sentiments' ,,on ,,sonnets1 ,,with ,,sundry ,,specimens4--,thanks to our ever-welcome correspondent1 ',t4 ,w4 ,p4' for his pleasant1 pertinent and improving sentiments on sonnets4 ,arriving at too late an hour for a place among our guests at the table d' hte1 perhaps he will not object to sit at our humble side-table1 and converse familiarly with the reader2 since1 as honest ,,sancho remarked of the ,duke1 ',wherever he sits1 there will be the first place4' ,our friend has a fruitful theme4 ,how many borrowed prose-passages have we seen1 with their original brightness dimmed or deflected in a sorry sonnet6 ,nine in ten of our modern examples in this kind1 when one comes to analyze them1 will be found to consist of stolen ideas1 combined with what ,,southey would call 'bubble1 and bladder1 and tympany4' ,but perpend the subjoined3 ',ever since the fatal days of ,,petrarch ,,and ,,guido ,,cavalianti1 mankind have suffered more or less from the chronic infliction of ,sonnets4 ,with them indeed the complaint was constitutional1 and came in the natural way2 under so mild and gentle a form withal1 that little danger was to be apprehended for ,italian temperaments1 except a degree of languor1 general debility1 and a disagreeable singing in the ears4 ,it was only when it worked its way into ,english blood1 that the virus assumed its most baneful character4 ,,shakspeare1 among other illustrious victims1 was afflicted by it in his youth1 but seems to have recovered during his residence in the metropolis4 ,possibly the favor of the royal hand might have proved more beneficial than that of the ,earl of ,southampton4 ,perhaps he was touched for it by ,,elizabeth1 as ,,johnson was by ,queen ,,anne for the scrofula4 ,however that may be1 we know very well that the disorder is now rooted among us1 and that every week produces decided cases of ,sonnets1 sometimes so severe as to be intolerable4 ,in this condition of the mental health of our country1 since the evil cannot be cured1 it were a work at once philanthropical and patriotic1 so to modify it and regulate its attacks1 that it may settle down into a moderate degree of annoyance1 like the lighter afflictions of mild measles and mumps4 ,we can always calculate upon the duration of each 'fytte1' as none ever exceeds the fourteenth spasm4 ,when the just dozen-and-two convulsions are past1 the danger is over1 and the offensive matter may be removed by a newspaper1 or discharged into some appropriate magazine4 ,there is good reason for designating the complaint as a periodical one4 ,we intend1 one of these days1 provided our remarks attract sufficient attention1 to publish a volume upon this subject4 ,we have the materiel by us and about us2 and as soon as we can make arrangements with ,mr4 ,,poh for a puff in the ',north-,american ,review1' or the ',southern ,literary ,messenger1' we shall broach the affair to ,mr4 ,,fields1 the enterprising publisher4 ,we have moreover desired ,mr4 ,,whipple to write to his friend ,mr4 ,,macaulay in ,england1 who will doubtless be proud to foster ,american letters by a hoist in the ',edinburgh4' ,there is only one other thing absolutely requisite for the success of the book1 and that is the appearance of this article in the ,,knickerbocker4 ,befriend me then with your fine taste1 renowned ,,herr ,,diedrich6 and give me room4 ,i shall not dive deeply into the matter now2 but for the good of my young countrymen1 the labor of whose brains is incompatible with a fruitful development of whiskers1 ,i wish to put forth a page of advice that may save them a world of fatigue4 ,it is common with those who are far gone in this tuneful disorder to set up late o' nights and tipple coffee4 ,under my new system1 ,i will engage that they may retire to bed on mulled-punch nightly1 at eleven1 and yet effect all that they now perform with the greatest injury to their eyes and complexions4 ,but pocas pallabras--enough of this preface3 will not the thing speak for itself8 ,there needs no farther introduction for these brief extracts from the aforesaid work3 ,,the ,,easiest ,,way ,,of ,,discharging ,a ,,sonnet4 ,a ,,sonnet 7as before stated7 consists of fourteen and no more spasms4 ,they are calm1 deliberate twinges1 however1 and upon a homoeopathical principle1 the great object should be to get over each one in the calmest possible manner2 idem cum eodem4 ,the thing cannot be treated too coolly1 for its very essence is dull deliberation4 ,the name sonnet is probably derived1 through the ,italian sonno1 from the ,latin word for sleep1 in allusion to its lethargic quality4 ,the best mode of encouraging the efflux of the peccant humor is for the patient to have a cigar in his mouth4 ,the narcotic fumes of tobacco are highly favorable to its ejection4 ,the first step then is the selection of rhymes4 ,fourteen of these in their proper order should be written perpendicularly on the right hand of a smooth sheet of white paper4 ,when this is done1 it is necessary to read them over1 up and down1 several times1 until some general idea of a subject or a title suggests itself4 ,great care must be taken1 in the selection of rhymes1 to get as original ones as possible1 and such as shall strike the eye4 ,still greater should be the precaution not to choose such incongruous rhymes as may not easily be welded together or amalgamated into one whole by the mercury of fancy4 ,for instance1 it would be well to avoid coupling such words as moon and spoon1 breeze and cheese and sneeze2 ,jove and stove2 hope and soap2 all which it might be difficult to bring together harmoniously4 ,here the artist1 the man of true science1 will discover himself4 ,,shelley affords a good choice of rhymes2 chasm and spasm2 rift and drift2 ravine and savin1 are useful conjunctions4 ,if you have a ravine1 it will be very easy to stick in a savin1 but you must avoid a spavin1 or your verse may halt for it4 ,this we call being artistical4 ,benissimo6 then4 ,having fixed upon your subject1 all you have to do is to fill up the lines to match the ends1 and this1 in one evening's practice1 will become as easy1 the same thing in fact1 as the filling up of the blank form of an ordinary receipt4 ,but the most expeditious and surest way of procuring a good ,sonnet is the ,division of ,labor ,system4 ,this has often been unconsciously practised by modern poets1 but it has never been explicitly set forth till now4 ,every body knows that even in the fabrication of so small a thing as a needle1 the process is facilitated by dividing it among a number of hands2 as to one the eye1 to another the point1 to one the grinding1 to another the polishing4 ,in the same way1 to render a sonnet pointed and sharp1 to polish it and insure it against cutting the thread of its argument1 the work should be performed by two or more4 ,every sonnet1 in short1 ought to be a translation4 ,i do not say a translation from the ,german or any other jargon1 but a translation from ,english--from one man's into another man's ,english4 ,it is absurd for one workman to do both rhyming and thinking4 ,in this go-ahead age and country1 that were a palpable waste of time4 ,take any 'matter-ful' author1 cut out a juicy slice of his thought1 and make that your material4 ,trim it1 compress it1 turn it and twist it upside down and inside out1 vary it any way but the author's own1 and you will be likely to effect a speedy and wholesome operation4 ,what a saving of time is here6 ,who will be silly enough to manufacture his own thinkings into verse when the world is so full of excellent stuff as yet unwrought in the great mine of letters8 ,let us not burn up our own native forests while we can fetch coals from ,newcastle4 ,what a pleasant prospect for readers too6 ,a man may be sure then1 that a sonnet shall contain a thought4 ,he will not be gulled into experiments upon decent-looking1 respectable dross and plausible inanity4 ,he shall not dig hungrily for an idea1 and be filled with volumes of wind4 ,with the fourteenth pang his anxiety shall be over1 and he shall drop asleep satisfied2 tandem dormitum dimittitur4 ,not to anticipate farther our forthcoming book1 nor to forestall the critics in any more extracts1 we shall lay before the reader two or three samples of work done according to this system4 ,,carlyle has furnished our raw material4 ,his pages are so full of poetry that little time need be expended in selecting a fit piece for working up4 ,see now if these be not sonnets which ,,bowles might have been proud to claim4 ,each one is warranted to contain a thought2 an hour or so would suffice for the completion of half a dozen such4 ,observe too1 that little deviation is necessary from the original1 the words falling naturally into both rhythm and rhyme4 ,we commence with a few translations from ,carlyle4 ,the initial specimen is taken from ,herr ,,teufelsdr,,ckh',s remarks on ,,bonaparte4 ,this is the passage3 ',the man 7,,napoleon7 was a ,divine ,missionary1 though unconscious of it1 and preached through the cannon's throat this great doctrine3 ,la carrire ouverte aux talens2 ',the ,tools to him that can handle them4' ,madly enough he preached1 it is true1 as ,enthusiasts and first ,missionaries are wont1 with imperfect utterance1 amid much frothy rant1 yet as articulately perhaps as the case admitted4 ,or call him1 if you will1 an ,american ,backwoodsman1 who had to fell unpenetrated forests1 and battle with innumerable wolves1 and did not entirely forbear strong liquor1 rioting1 and even theft2 whom notwithstanding the peaceful ,sower will follow1 and as he cuts the boundless harvest1 bless4' ,,sartor ,,resartus3 ,,book ,,ii41 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,,sonnet ,i4--,,napoleon4 ,napoleon was a ,missionary merely1 ,who through the cannon's throat this truth expressed1 ,unconsciously1 divinely and sincerely1 ,the ,tools to him that handles 'em the best4 ,madly enough1 indeed1 the man did preach1 ,amid much rant1 as all ,enthusiasts do1 ,and yet with as articulate a speech ,as the strange case1 perhaps1 allowed him to4 ,or call him a ,backwoodsman1 if you will2 ,who1 forced to fell unpenetrated woods1 ,and doomed innumerable wolves to kill1 ,got drunk sometimes1 and stole his neighbor's goods2 ,whom will the ,sower follow ne'ertheless1 ,and as he cuts the boundless harvest1 bless4 ,or let us try the following description of the ,hotel de ,ville in the ,french ,revolution3 ',o evening sun of ,july6 how at this hour thy beams fall slant on reapers amid peaceful woody fields2 on old women spinning in cottages2 on ships far out on the silent main2 on ,balls at the ,orangerie of ,versailles1 where high-rouged dames of the palace are even now dancing with double-jacketted ,hussar officers2 and also on this roaring ,hell-porch of a ,hotel de ,ville4 ,babel-tower1 with the confusion of tongues1 were not ,bedlam added with the conflagration of thoughts1 was no type of it4 ,one forest of distracted steel bristles endless in front of an ,electoral ,committee4' ,,french ,,revolution3 ,,book ,v41 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,,sonnet ,,ii4--,,the ,,hotel ,,de ,,ville4 ,o evening sun of most serene ,july6 ,how at this hour thy slant refulgence pours ,on reapers working in the open sky1 ,and women spinning at their cottage doors1 ,on ships far out upon the silent main1 ,on gay ,versailles1 where through the light quadrille ,hussars are leading forth a high-rouged train1 ,and on the hell-porch-like ,hotel de ,ville4 ,not ,babel's tower with all its million tongues1 ,save ,bedlam too therewith had added been1 ,to mingle burning brains with roaring lungs1 ,could feebly imitate that dreadful din2 ,one endless forest of distracted steel ,bristling around that mad ,hotel de ,ville6 ,or to return to ,professor ,,teufeldr,,ckh',s vast chaos of ideas4 ,let us try another passage therefrom3 ',it struck me much as ,i sat beside the ,kuhbach1 one silent noontide1 and watched it flowing1 gurgling1 to think how this same streamlet had flowed and gurgled through all changes of weather and of fortune1 from beyond the earliest date of history4 ,yes1 probably on the morning when ,,joshua forded ,jordan2 even as at the midday when ,c,,sar1 doubtless with difficulty1 swam the ,nile1 yet kept his ,commentaries dry2 this little ,kuhbach1 assiduous as ,tiber1 ,eurotas or ,siloa1 was murmuring on across the wilderness1 unnamed1 unseen4' ,,sartor ,,resartus3 ,,book ,,ii41 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,,sonnet ,,iii4--,,eternity ,,of ,,nature4 ,one silent noonday1 as ,i sat beside ,the gurgling flow of ,kuhbach's little river1 ,methought how1 even as ,i saw it glide1 ,that stream had flowed and gurgled on forever4 ,yes1 on the day when ,,joshua passed the flood ,of ancient ,jordan2 when across the ,nile ,c,,sar swam 7hardly1 doubtless1 through the mud17 ,yet kept his ,commentaries dry the while1 ,this little ,kuhbach1 like ,siloa's rill1 ,or ,tiber's ,tide1 assiduous and serene1 ,ev'n then1 the same as now1 was murmuring still ,across the wilderness1 unnamed1 unseen4 ,art's but a mushroom--only ,nature's old2 ,in yon grey crag six thousand years behold6 ,from the same chapter of the same book we venture one more extract4 ,it is where the ,professor is full of grief and reminiscences2 where1 reflecting on his first experience of wo in the death of ,father ,,andreas1 he becomes once more spirit-clad in quite inexpressible melancholy1 and says1 ',i have now pitched my tent under a cypress-tree1' etc43 ,,sonnet ,,iv4--,,bliss ,,in ,,grief4 ,under a cypress-tree ,i pitch my tent3 ,the tomb shall be my fortress2 at its gate ,i sit and watch each hostile armament1 ,and all the pains and penalties of ,fate4 ,and oh ye loved ones6 that already sleep1 ,hushed in the noiseless bed of endless rest1 ,for whom1 while living1 ,i could only weep1 ,but never help in all your sore distress1 ,and ye who still your lonely burthen bear1 ,spilling your blood beneath life's bitter thrall1 ,a little while and we shall all meet there1 ,and one kind ,mother's bosom screen us all2 ,oppression's harness will no longer tire ,or gall us there1 nor ,sorrow's whip of fire4 ,but we are borrowing too much from our embryo volume4 ,patience1 dear ,public6 until we can find a publisher4 ,in the mean time1 examine the specimens we have presented to you4 ,can any one tell us where to look for sonnets1 more satisfactory than these8 ,we congratulate our country on the prospect of our soon having an ,american literature4 ,let our industrious young aspirants try a work in which they may succeed in producing something of sterling value4 ,a year or two will suffice to turn half the plodding prose writers of ,britain into original poets4 ,every brilliant article that appears in the ,quarterly might here renascent spring forth like ,arethusa1 in a new and more melodious voice2 bubbling up in a pretty epic or stormy lyric4 ,see1 for example1 how easily ,,sidney ,,smith might be done into rhyme3 ,,sonnet ,v4 ,i never meet at any public dinner ,a ,pennsylvanian1 but my fingers itch ,to pluck his borrowed plumage from the sinner1 ,and with the spoil the company enrich4 ,his pocket-handkerchief ,i would bestow ,on the poor orphan2 and his worsted socks ,should to the widow in requital go ,for having sunk her all in ,yankee stocks2 ,to ,john the footman ,i would give his hat1 ,which only cost six shillings in ,broadway3 ,as for his diamond ring--,i'd speak for that2 ,his gold watch too my losses might repay3 ,himself might home in the next steamer hie1 ,for who would take him--or his word8 ,not ,i4 ',,legends ,,of ,,the ,,conquest ,,of ,,spain4'--,some eighteen years ago1 a work in a single volume1 entitled as above1 and written by the author of the ',sketch-,book1' was issued from the press of ,,murray1 the celebrated ,london book-seller4 ,it would seem to have been put forth as a kind of avant-courier of ',the ,chronicles of the ,conquest of ,granada2' but unlike that elaborate work1 was never republished in this country1 and has never been included in any of the complete editions of ,mr4 ,,irving',s writings4 ,we are indebted to the kind courtesy of a gentleman who has been spending some months with our distinguished countryman and correspondent at ,madrid1 for a copy of the book1 which he obtained at that capital4 ,we have good reason to believe that it has been encountered by few if any readers on this side the ,atlantic4 ,a very stirring extract from its pages will be found elsewhere in this ,magazine4 ,mr4 ,,irving introduces the legends to his readers with a few prefatory sentences1 in which he states that he has ventured to dip more deeply into the enchanted fountains of old ,spanish chronicle than has usually been done by those who have treated of the eventful period of which he writes2 but in so doing1 he only more fully illustrates the character of the people and the times4 ,he has thrown the records into the form of legends1 not claiming for them the authenticity of sober history1 yet giving nothing that had not a historical foundation4 ',all the facts herein contained1' says the writer1 'however extravagant some of them may be deemed1 will be found in the works of sage and reverend chroniclers of yore1 growing side by side with long acknowledged truths1 and might be supported by learned and imposing references in the margin4' ,to discard every thing wild and marvellous in this portion of ,spanish history is to discard some of its most beautiful1 instructive1 and national features2 it is to judge of ,spain by the standard of probability suited to tamer and more prosaic countries4 ,spain is virtually a land of poetry and romance1 where every-day life partakes of adventure1 and where the least agitation or excitement carries every thing up into extravagant enterprise and daring exploit4 ,the ,spaniards in all ages have been of swelling and braggart spirit1 soaring in thought1 and valiant though vainglorious in deed4 ,when the nation had recovered in some degree from the storm of ,moslem invasion1 and sage men sought to inquire and write the particulars of the tremendous reverses which it produced1 it was too late to ascertain them in their exact verity4 ,the gloom and melancholy that had overshadowed the land had given birth to a thousand superstitious fancies2 the woes and terrors of the past were clothed with supernatural miracles and portents1 and the actors in the fearful drama had already assumed the dubious characteristics of romance4 ,or if a writer from among the conquerors undertook to touch upon the theme1 it was embellished with all the wild extravagances of an oriental imagination1 which afterward stole into the graver works of the monkish historians4 ,hence the chronicles are apt to be tinctured with those saintly miracles which savor of the pious labors of the cloister1 or those fanciful fictions that betray their ,arabian ,authors4 ,scarce one of their historical facts but has been connected in the original with some romantic fiction1 and even in its divorced state1 bears traces of its former alliance4 ,the records in preceding pages are 'illuminated' by these prefatory remarks of our author1 if their truth be not altogether established6 ,how the ,count ,,julian receives the account of the dishonor of his child1 and his conduct thereupon2 and how ,,don ,,roderick hastens1 through various tribulation1 to his final overthrow2 will be matter for another number4 ,meanwhile the reader will not fail to note the great beauty of the descriptions1 which in the hands of our great master of the power and beauty of 'the grand old ,english tongue1' assume form and color1 and stand out like living pictures to the eye4 ,,american ,,ptyalism3 ',,quid ,,rides8'--,a pleasant correspondent1 whom our readers have long known1 and as long admired and esteemed1 in a familiar gossip1 7by favor of ',uncle ,,samuel',s mail-bag17 with the ,editor1 gives us the following 'running account' of his ruminations over an early-morning quid of that 'flavorous weed' so well beloved of our friend ,colonel ,,stone4 ,it is in some sort a defence of ,american ptyalism1 and in the tendency of its inculcations1 reminds us of the arguments in favor of the cultivation of a refined style of murder1 which should constitute it one of the fine arts1 to which we gave a place many months back3 ',after having in my broken dreams perambulated every part and parcel of the universe1 and then tossed about for hours on an ocean of bodily discomforts1 each a dagger to repose1 and mental disquietudes1 of which any one was enough to wither all the poppies of ,somnus1 ,i rose about four o' my watch1 and commenced chewing the narcotic weed of ,virginia4 ,for you must know that in childhood almost1 through a precocious mannishness and a desire of experimental knowledge1 ,i commenced the habit of tobacco-chewing1 and the vice born of a freak1 has 'grown with my growth1' till now it holds me as in a 'vice' screwed up and secured by a giant4 7,please observe that there's a pun in that last sentence47 ,where the conventionalities of society compel me to attidunize my appearance and customs into the stiffness of gentility1 ,i puff the ,havana2 but when the privacy of my own room or the solitude of the roads and fields permit me to vulgarize to my liking1 ,i thrust a ball of ',mrs4 ,,miller',s fine-cut1' or a fragment of the 'natural ,james' ,river sweet1' between the sub-maxillary bone and its carnal casement1 and then masticate and expectorate ' la ,yankee4' or 'more ,americano4' ,pah6 oh6 fie6 for shame6 and all other interjections indicative of horror1 or expressive of disgust4 ',quousque tandem8' ,beg your pardon1 ,mrs4 ,,trollope4 ',quamdiu etiam8' ,i implore your commiseration1 ,captain ,,basil4 ',oh1 tempora6 oh1 mores6' ,have mercy1 illustrious and praise-bespattered1 and almost ,sir-,waltered ,,boz4 ,do not1 under the uneasy weight of glory1 and in the intoxicating consciousness of a right to the oligarchic exclusiveness of the goose-quill 'haute vole1' strike right and left among your sturdy democratic adorers1 because they choose to convert their mandibles into quid-grinders1 and their ,greek3 chasmat' odontn into ceaseless jet d'eaux of saliva4 ,reflect that the 'quid' assists in a philosophic investigation of the 'quiddities' of things1 and that from this habit alone perhaps we have made such advances in casuistry as to have discovered equity in repudiation1 freedom in mobocracy1 and the sword of justice in the bowie-knife4 ,chewing is eminently democratic1 since all chewers are 'pro hc vice' on a perfect equality1 and a 'millionaire2' or1 for that matter1 a 'billionaire1' if we had him1 would not hesitate to take out of his mouth a moiety of his last 'chew' and give it to an itinerant ,lazarus4 ,what can be more admirable than this 'de bon air' plebeianism1 and universal right-hand of fellowship8 ,does not he who extends among the people the use of this democratizing weed1 emphatically give them a 'quid pro quo8' ,are not slovenliness and filth the virtues of republics1 while neatness and elegance are vices of court-growth1 and expand into their most ramified and minute perfectness of polish only in the palaces of kings8 ,furthermore1 oh laurelled and triumphant ,,pickwick6 if expectoration be filthy1 it must be because the 'thing expectorated' is unclean2 and if so1 is it not more decent to become rid of the 'unclean thing' by the readiest process1 than to retain it1 making the stomach a receptacle of abominations8 ,and are you1 ,sir ,baronet of the realm imaginary1 subject to no gross corporeal needs and operations8 ,and if1 as you will say1 you perform those foul rites in a state of retiracy1 are you not adding the sin of hypocrisy to your prexistent guilt8 ,if it has succeeded to you1 as to few penny-a-liners1 to have emerged by the sale of your ,attic-salt from the attics of ,grub-street into the 'swept and garnished chambers' of the ,regent1 and if after quaffing the ale of ,bow-street1 procured by caricatures of ,old ,baily reports1 you have sipped your hockheimer1 while standing1 scarce yet unbewildered1 in the gas-light splendor reflected from the 'vis--vis' mirrors of ,almack's1 yet do not exalt yourself above all that is fleshly4 ,reflect that you1 so lately unrivalled1 can now see a ,,eugene ,,sue whose brow is umbraged by laurels of a more luxuriant and lovely green4 ,cease your expectorations of bile upon a great people2 admit that mastication of the 'odorous vegeble' is a ,spartan virtue2 and we will again vote you an ,anak in the kingdom of pen and paper4 ,then again shall we be led to believe that your praises and your vituperations are equally unpurchasable4 ,then once more shall we think you would swallow no golden pill1 nor suffer your throat to be ulcerated by a silver quinsy4' ,,gossip ,,with ,,readers ,,and ,,correspondents4--,if any of our readers are desirous of looking into the rationale of irrationality1 to employ a highly 'unitive' phrase1 let them take up1 if they can command it1 the ',annual ,report of the ,managers of the ,new ,york ,state ,lunatic ,asylum1' one of the clearest and most comprehensive documents in its kind that we have ever perused4 ,it proceeds from the capable pen of ,a4 ,,brigham1 ,m4 ,d4 the superintendent and physician of the institution1 and is full upon the definition1 causes and classification of insanity2 the size and shape of the heads of the patients2 the pulse2 description of the building2 daily routine of business1 diet1 labor1 amusements1 religious worship1 visitors1 suggestions to those who have friends whom they expect to commit to the care of the asylum1 etc41 etc4 ,the cause of insanity in fifty out of two hundred and seventy-six patients is attributed to religious anxiety1 produced by long attendance on protracted religious meetings1 etc4 ,want of sleep is decidedly the most frequent and immediate cause of insanity1 and one the most important to guard against4 ',so rarely 7says the superintendent7 do you see a recent case of insanity that is not preceded by want of sleep1 that we regard it as almost the sure precursor of mental derangement4' ,as evidences of the difficulty of arranging the insane in classes1 founded on symptoms1 ,dr4 ,,brigham gives us the following synopsis of individual peculiarities noticed among certain of the inmates of the ,asylum3 ',in addition to emperors1 queens1 prophets and priests1 we have one that says he is nobody1 a nonentity4 ,one that was never born1 and one that was born of her grandmother1 and another dropped by the devil flying over the world4 ,one has had the throat cut out and put in wrong1 so that what is swallowed passes into the head1 and another has his head cut off and replaced every night4 ,one thinks himself a child1 and talks and acts like a child4 ,many appear as if constantly intoxicated4 ,one has the gift of tongues1 another deals in magic1 several in animal magnetism4 ,one thinks he is a white polar bear4 ,a number have hallucinations of sight1 others of hearing4 ,one repeats whatever is said to him1 another repeats constantly words of the same sound1 as door1 floor4 ,one is pursued by the sheriff1 many by the devil4 ,one has invented the perpetual motion and is soon to be rich2 others have already acquired vast fortunes3 scraps of paper1 buttons and chips are to them1 large amounts of money4 ,many pilfer continually and without any apparent motive1 while others secrete every thing they can find1 their own articles as well as those of others4 ,a majority are disposed to hoard up trifling and useless articles1 as scraps of tin1 leather1 strings1 nails1 buttons1 etc41 and are much grieved to part with them4 ,one will not eat unless alone1 some never wish to eat1 while others are always starving4 ,one with a few sticks and straws fills his room with officers and soldiers1 ships and sailors1 carriages and horses1 the management of which occupies all his time and thoughts4 ,some have good memory as regards most things1 and singularly defective as to others4 ,one does not recollect the names of his associates1 which he hears every hour1 yet his memory is good in other respects4 ,one says he is ,,thomas ,,paine1 author of the ',age of ,reason1' a work he has never read2 another calls himself ,general ,,washington2 and one old lady of diminutive size calls herself ,general ,,scott1 and is never so good-natured as when thus addressed4 ,one is always in court attending a trial1 and wondering and asking when the court is to rise4 ,another has to eat up the building1 drink dry the canal1 and swallow the ,little ,falls village1 and is continually telling of the difficulty of the task4' ,the superintendent prefers a classification founded upon the faculties of the mind that appear to be disordered2 and he thinks he could place all his patients in one of the three following classes3 ,intellectual ,insanity1 or disorder of the intellect without noticeable disturbance of the feelings and propensities2 ,moral ,insanity or derangement of the feelings1 affections1 and passions1 without any remarkable disorder of the intellect2 and ,general ,insanity1 in which both the intellectual faculties and the feelings and affections are disordered4 ,the ,state ,asylum is a fine imposing edifice1 delightfully situated near the pleasant village of ,utica1 in ,oneida county1 and is becoming greatly distinguished for success in the treatment and cure of insanity4 ,,we heard a little anecdote at a bal costum the other evening1 7whether from the dignified and stately ,,helen ,,macgregor or the beautiful ,,medora1 we 'cannot well make out1'7 which is worth repeating4 ,a retired green-grocer1 rejoicing in the euphonious name of ,,tibbs1 living at ,hackney1 near ,london1 sorely against his will1 and after warm remonstrance1 finally yielded to his wife's entreaty that he would go in character to a masquerade-ball1 given to the 'middling interest' by one of his old neighbors4 ,he went accoutred as a knight1 wearing his visor down4 ,what was his surprise on entering the room1 to find first one and then another member of the motley company slapping him familiarly on the back1 with3 ',halloa6 ,,tibbs6 who thought to see you here6 ,what's the news at ,hackney8' ,in dismay that his ridiculous secret was out1 he hurried from the scene1 and hastened home in a state of great excitement from the mortification to which he had been subjected4 ',i told you ,i should be known1' said he to his wife2 ',i knew ,i should6' ',no wonder6' she replied2 'you've got your name and residence on your steel cap3 ',mr4 ,,tibbs1 ,hackney6'' ,he had forgotten to remove the address which the ,london costumer had affixed to it as a direction6 ,,how many thousand times1 in thinking of the onward career of our glorious and thrice-blessed country1 have we felt the emotions to which our esteemed friend and contributor1 ,,polygon1 gives forceful expression in the closing lines of a beautiful poem of his1 which we have encountered to-day for the first time3 ',oh6 long through coming ages1 born ,when we shall slumber cold and still1 ,the sultry summer will adorn ,the verdant vale and hazy hill2 ,and ,autumn walking even and morn ,through bearded wheat and rustling corn1 ,see ,plenty from her streaming horn ,his largest wishes fill4 ',europe's rich realms will then admire ,and emulate our matchless fame1 ,and ,asia burn with fierce desire ,to burst her galling bonds of shame6 ,greece will resume th' ,aonian lyre1 ,and ,rome again to heaven aspire1 ,and vestal ,freedom's quenchless fire ,from the pyramids shall flame6' 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is a sort of pathetic humor in the following parody by ,,punch upon the prize exhibitions of cattle in ,england4 ,a more forcible exposition of the different condition of the human and brute animal in that country could not well be conceived4 ,it must be premised that a large hall is fitted up with pens on either side1 and over the head of the occupant paste-board tickets are appended by the ,poor ,law ,commissioners1 detailing their names1 weights1 ages1 the regimen to which they have been subjected1 and other particulars2 as thus3 ',,peter ,,small4 ,aged forty4 ,weight at period of admission twelve stone4 ,confined three months4 ,present weight nine stone4 ,fed principally on water-gruel4 ,has been separated from his wife and children in the work-house1 and occasionally placed in solitary confinement for complaining of hunger4 ,employment1 breaking stones4' ',,jane ,,wells4 ,aged seventy4 ,weight five stone2 lost two stone since her admission1 one month ago4 ,gruel diet2 tea without sugar2 potatoes and salt4 ,has been set to picking opium4' ',,john ,,tompkins4 ,aged eighty-five4 ,has seen better days4 ,on admission1 weighed eleven stone1 which has been reduced to eight and three-quarters4 ,diet1 weak soup1 with turnips and carrots2 dry bread and cheese-parings2 a few ounces of meat occasionally1 when faint4 ,came to the work-house with his wife1 who is five years younger than himself4 ,has not been allowed to see her for a month2 during which period has lost in weight two ounces on an average per day4 ,employed in carrying coals4' ,faithful portraits1 no doubt1 of thousands who crowd the thick-clustering pauper-houses of ,england1 who have ',no blessed leisure for love nor hope1 ,but only time for grief6' 99 99 99 99 99 ,our umqwhile ,new-,haven friend1 who commented upon our 'light gossip' a few months since1 will pardon us for quoting1 in corroboration of the exculpatory 'position' which we assumed in alluding to his animadversions1 the following remarks by the author of the ',charcoal ,sketches1' ,,joseph ,c4 ,,neal1 ,esq43 ',gossip1 goodly gossip1 though sometimes sneered at1 is after all the best of our entertainments4 ,we must fall back upon the light web of conversation1 upon chit-chat1 as our main-stay1 our chief reliance2 as that corps de reserve on which our scattered and wearied forces are to rally4 ,what is there which will bear comparison as a recreating means1 with the free and unstudied interchange of thought1 of knowledge1 of impression about men and things1 and all that varied medley of fact1 criticism and conclusion so continually fermenting in the active brain8 ,be fearful of those who love it not1 and banish such as would imbibe its delights yet bring no contribution to the common stock4 ,there are men who seek the reputation of wisdom by dint of never affording a glimpse of their capabilities1 and impose upon the world by silent gravity2 negative philosophers1 who never commit themselves beyond the utterance of a self-evident proposition1 or hazard their position by a feat of greater boldness than is to be found in the avowal of the safe truth which has been granted for a thousand years4 ,there is a deception here1 which should never be submitted to4 ,sagacity may be manifest in the nod of ,burleigh's head2 but it does not follow that all who nod are ,burleighs4 ,he who habitually says nothing1 must be content if he be regarded as having nothing to say1 and it is only a lack of grace on his part which precludes the confession4 ,in this broad ',vienna' of human effort1 the mere 'looker-on' cannot be tolerated4 ,it is part of our duty to be nonsensical and ridiculous at times1 for the entertainment of the rest of the world4 ,if we are never to open our mouths until the unsealing of the aperture is to give evidence of a present ,solomon1 and to add something to the ,book of ,proverbs1 we must for the most part1 stand like the statue of ,harpocrates1 with ',still your finger on your lips1 ,i pray4' ,if we do speak1 under such restrictions1 it cannot well be1 as the world is constituted1 more than once or twice in the course of an existence1 the rest of the sojourn upon earth being devoted to a sublimation of our thought4 ,but always wise1 sensible1 sagacious1 rational2 always in wig and spectacles2 always algebraic and mathematical2 doctrinal and didactic2 ever to sit like ,,franklin',s portrait1 with the index fixed upon 'causality2' one might as well be a petrified 'professor1' or a ,,william ,,penn bronzed upon a pedestal4 ,there is nothing so good1 either in itself or in its effects1 as good nonsense4' ,upon reading the foregoing1 we laid ,mr4 ,,yellowplush',s 'flattering function' to our soul1 that after all1 we need not greatly distrust the reception of our monthly salmagundi1 since one good producer and critic may be held as in some sort an epitome of the public2 and especially1 since any one subsection of our hurried ,gossip1 should it chance to be dull1 or void of interest1 may be soon exhausted1 or easily skipped4 ,,we observed lately1 in the pages of a monthly contemporary1 an elaborate notice of the poems of ,,alfred ,,tennyson1 who has written many somewhat affected and several very heartful and exquisite verses2 and were not a little surprised to find no reference to two of the most beautiful poems in his collection2 namely1 the ',new-,year's ,eve1' and its ',conclusion4' ,the first embodies the reflections of a young maiden1 sinking gradually under that fell destroyer1 ,,consumption4 ,it is new-year's eve1 and she implores her mother to 'call her early1' that she may see the sun rise upon the glad new year1 the last that she shall ever see4 ,how touchingly the associations of nature are depicted in these stanzas3 ,to-night ,i saw the sun set3 he set and left behind ,the good old year1 the dear old time1 and all my peace of mind2 ,and the ,new-year's coming up1 mother1 but ,i shall never see ,the blossom on the black thorn1 the leaf upon the tree4 ,there's not a flower on all the hills3 the frost is on the pane3 ,i only wish to live till the snow-drops come again3 ,i wish the snow would melt1 and the sun come out on high2 ,i long to see a flower so before the day ,i die4 ,the building rook will caw from the windy tall elm-tree1 ,and the tufted plover pipe along the fallow lea1 ,and the swallow will come back again with summer o'er the wave4 ,but ,i shall lie alone1 mother1 within the mouldering grave4 ,upon the chancel-casement1 and upon that grave of mine1 ,in the early1 early morning the summer sun will shine2 ,before the red cock crows from the farm upon the hill1 ,when you are warm asleep1 mother1 and all the world is still4 ,when the flowers shall come again1 mother1 beneath the waning light1 ,you'll never see me more in the long gray fields at night3 ,when from the dry dark wold the summer airs blow cool1 ,on the oat-grass and the sword-grass1 and the bulrush in the pool4 ,you'll bury me1 my mother1 just beneath the hawthorn shade1 ,and you'll come sometimes and see me1 where ,i am lowly laid4 ,i shall not forget you1 mother1 ,i shall hear you when you pass1 ,with your feet above my head in the long and pleasant grass4 ,i have been wild and wayward1 but you'll forgive me now2 ,you'll kiss me1 my own mother1 upon my cheek and brow2 ,nay1 nay1 you must not weep1 nor let your grief be wild1 ,you should not fret for me1 mother1 you have another child4 ,if ,i can ,i'll come again1 mother1 from out my resting-place2 ,though you'll not see me1 mother1 ,i shall look upon your face2 ,though ,i cannot speak a word1 ,i shall hearken what you say1 ,and be often1 often with you1 when you think ,i'm far away4 ,good-night1 good-night6 when ,i have said good-night for evermore1 ,and you see me carried out from the threshold of the door1 ,don't let ,effie come to see me till my grave be growing green3 ,she'll be a better child to you than ever ,i have been4 ,she'll find my garden-tools upon the granary floor3 ,let her take 'em3 they are hers3 ,i shall never garden more3 ,but tell her1 when ,i'm gone1 to train the rose-bush that ,i set ,about the parlour-window and the box of mignonette4 ,the poor girl's prayer to 'live to see the snow-drop1' in the spring-time1 is answered4 ,the violets have come forth1 and in the fields around she hears the bleating of the young lambs4 ,she is now ready to die1 and knows that the time of her departure is at hand1 for she has had a 'warning from heaven4' ,the reader should have sat by the bed-side of one slowly fading away by consumption1 and have heard the wild ,march wind wail amidst the boughs of leafless trees without1 rightly to appreciate the faithfulness of these lines3 ',i did not hear the dog howl1 mother1 nor hear the death-watch beat1 ,there came a sweeter token when the night and morning meet3 ,but sit beside my bed1 mother1 and put your hand in mine1 ,and ,effie on the other side1 and ,i will tell the sign4 ,all in the wild ,march-morning ,i heard the angels call2 ,it was when the moon was setting1 and the dark was over all2 ,the trees began to whisper1 and the wind began to roll1 ,and in the wild ,march-morning ,i heard them call my soul4 ,for lying broad awake ,i thought of you and ,effie dear2 ,i saw you sitting in the house1 and ,i no longer here2 ,with all my strength ,i pray'd for both1 and so ,i felt resign'd1 ,and up the valley came a swell of music on the wind4 ,i thought that it was fancy1 and ,i listen'd in my bed1 ,and then did something speak to me--,i know not what was said2 ,for great delight and shuddering took hold of all my mind1 ,and up the valley came again the music on the wind4 ,but you were sleeping2 and ,i said1 ',it's not for them3 it's mine4' ,and if it comes three times1 ,i thought1 ,i take it for a sign4 ,and once again it came1 and close beside the window-bars1 ,then seem'd to go right up to ,heaven and die among the stars4' ',this blessed music1' she says1 'went that way my soul will have to go4' ,she is reconciled to her inevitable fate2 yet still she casts a 'longing1 lingering look behind1' to the beautiful world she is leaving forever4 ,her reflections are imbued with a deep pathos2 the second line of the first stanza1 especially1 'teems with sensation3' ',o look6 the sun begins to rise1 the heavens are in a glow2 ,he shines upon a hundred fields1 and all of them ,i know3 ,and there ,i move no longer now1 and there his light may shine1 ,wild flowers are in the valley for other hands than mine6 ,o sweet and strange it seems to me1 that ere this day is done ,the voice1 that now is speaking1 may be beyond the sun2 ,for ever and for ever with those just souls and true3 ,and what is life1 that we should moan8 why make we such ado8 ,for ever and for ever1 all in a blessed home1 ,and there to wait a little while till you and ,effie come2 ,to lie within the light of ,god1 as ,i lie upon your breast1 ,where the wicked cease from troubling1 and the weary are at rest4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we are indebted to a friend and correspondent at the ,phillippine ,islands1 for two very instructive and amusing volumes1 of which we intend the reader shall know more hereafter4 ,the first is entitled ',portfolio ,chinensis1' or a collection of authentic ,chinese ,state ,papers1 in the native language1 illustrative of the history of the late important events in ,china1 with a translation by ,j4 ,,lewis ,,shuck2 the second1 a ',narrative of the late ,proceedings and ,events in ,china1' by ,,john ,,slade1 editor of the ',canton ,register4' ,in looking over these publications1 we are struck with the vigor and pertinacity with which1 when once their minds were made up1 the ,chinese authorities pursued their object of abolishing opium forever from the celestial empire4 ,edicts against the 'red-bristled foreigners' from ,england1 and the people of the ,american or 'flower-flag nation1' who should hoard up the smoking earth or vaporous drug1 were enforced by others addressed to the natives1 intended to lessen or annihilate the demand4 ,the remonstrances with the opium-smokers themselves are exceedingly pungent4 ,the ',great ,emperor1 quaking with wrath1' having examined the whole matter1 and 'united the circumstances1' saturates the ,high ,commissioner ,,lin with his own bright 'effulgence of reason1' who thereupon promulges3 ',although the opium exists among the outside barbarians1 there is not a man of them who is willing to smoke it himself2 but the natives of the flowery land are on the contrary with willing hearts led astray by them2 and they exhaust their property and brave the prohibitions1 by purchasing a commodity which inflicts injury upon their own vitals4 ,is not this supremely ridiculous6 ,and that you part with your money to poison your own selves1 is it not deeply lamentable6 ,how is it that you allow men to befool you8 ,thus the fish covets the bait and forgets the hook2 the miller-fly covets the candle-light1 but forgets the fire4 ,ye bring misfortunes upon yourselves6 ,habits which are thus disastrous are unchangeable1 being like the successive rolling of the waves of the sea4 ,is not your conduct egregiously strange8 ,we the governor and ,fooyuen have three times and five times again and again remonstrated with and exhorted you1 giving you lucid warning4 ,surely1 you are indeed dreaming1 and snoring in your dreams6' ,these multiplied edicts1 and the offers of rewards1 to 'encourage repentant and fear-stricken hearts1' seem to have led to a little trickery on the part of certain cunning mandarins1 if we interpret aright this clause in an ensuing 'lucid warning3' ',the opium-pipes which are delivered up must be distinguished clearly as to whether they are real or false4 ,those having on the outside of them the marks of use1 and within the oily residue of the smoke1 are the genuine ones2 and those which are made of new bamboo1 and merely moistened with the smoky oil1 are the false ones4' ,a 'spec4' had evidently been made by means of false 'smoking-implements4' ,but the most amusing portions of these volumes are the vermillion edicts against the 'outside barbarians1' who had irritated the sacred wrath to the cutting off of their trade4 ,the estimates of the ,fooyuen1 it will be seen1 are of that vague kind usually designated among us as 'upward of considerable4' ,alluding to the 'blithesome profits' which had accrued from an intercourse with ,china1 he says3 ',i find that during the last several tens of years the money out of which you have duped our people1 by means of your destructive drug1 amounts ,i know not to how many tens of thousands of myriads4 ,your ships1 which in former years amounted annually to no more than several tens1 now exceed a hundred and several tens1 which arrive here every year4 ,i would like to ask you if in the wide earth under heaven you can find such another profit-yielding market as this is8 ,our great ,chinese ,emperor views all mankind with equal benevolence1 and therefore it is that he has thus graciously permitted you to trade1 and become as it were steeped to the lips in gain4 ,if this port of ,canton1 however1 were to be shut against you1 how could you scheme to reap profit more8 ,moreover1 our tea and rhubarb are articles which ye foreigners from afar cannot preserve your lives without2 yet year by year we allow you to export both beyond seas1 without the slightest feeling of grudge on our part4 ,never was imperial goodness greater than this6 ,formerly1 the prohibitions of our empire might still be considered indulgent1 and therefore it was that from all our ports the sycee leaked out as the opium rushed in3 now1 however1 the ,great ,emperor1 on hearing of it1 actually quivers with indignation1 and before he will stay his hand the evil must be completely and entirely done away with4' ,but these denunciations are not unmingled with incitements to fear in another direction3 ',you are separated from your homes by several tens of thousands of miles1 and a ship which comes and goes is exposed to the perils of the great and boundless ocean1 arising from curling waves1 contrary tides1 thunders and lightnings1 and the howling tempest1 as well as the jeopardy of crocodiles and whales6 ,heaven's chastisements should be regarded with awe4 ,the majesty and virtue of our ,great ,emperor is the same with that of heaven itself6 ,our celestial dynasty soothes and tranquillizes the central and foreign lands1 and our favor flows most wide4 ,our central empire is exuberant in all kinds of productions1 and needs not in the slightest degree whatever the goods of the outer seas4' ,as matters are about proceeding to an open rupture with the 'red-bristled foreigners1' and preparations are making to 'fire upon them with immense guns1' there ensues a bit of ,chinese diplomacy1 which is especially rich4 ,after a long interview by a committee with the ,chefoo1 during which all sorts of arguments are urged upon ,snow1 the ,american ,consul1 and ,,van ,,basel1 the ,netherlands ,consul1 to induce them to sign a 'duly-prepared bond1' that none of their countrymen shall thenceforth bring opium to ,china1 the audience is suddenly closed with3 ',to-morrow the ,chefoo will be at the ,consoo-house1 and wait from nine till night to receive the bonds4 ,now go home and go to bed6' ,but enough for the nonce of ,,john ,,chinaman4 ,,in alluding to ,mr4 ,,cole',s graphic account of the ,ascent of ,mount tna1 in our last issue1 we spoke of its late eruption4 ,while reading the proof of that portion of our ',gossip1' a friend handed us a letter lately received from an ,american missionary lady at the ,sandwich ,islands1 from which we extract the subjoined vivid description of the great volcano at ,hawaii3 ',you know1' says the writer1 'something1 ,i suppose1 of the geological character of this island4 ,it seems as though a vast crater had boiled over and poured its fiery liquid in every direction4 ,this lava1 having cooled and hardened1 forms the basis of the island4 ,the district of ,kau is a rich1 luxuriant spot1 surrounded by desolate fields of scori1 which renders it difficult of access4 ,we are situated six miles from the sea1 sufficiently elevated to give us a commanding view of its vast expanse of waters4 ,we can occasionally spy a sail floating like a speck on its surface4 ,from the shore1 the country gradually rises into a range of verdant mountains1 whose summits appear to touch the clouds4 ,proceeding northward toward ,hilo1 there is a gradual rise1 until you reach the ,great ,volcano1 about six miles distant4 ,in making the tour to ,hilo1 we camped here the second night1 on the brink of the burning gulf4 ,suppose a vast area of earth1 as large as the bay of ,new-,york1 to have fallen in to the depth of several thousand feet4 ,at the bottom of this great cauldron1 you behold the liquid fire boiling and bubbling up1 partly covered with a thick black scum4 ,there are two or three inner craters1 which have been formed by the lava cooling on its sides while the liquid sunk below4 ,the gentlemen mostly descended into this crater1 but ,i was fully satisfied with a look from above4 ,the earth is cracked all around at the top1 and portions of it are continually falling in4 ,steam issues from open places in all the region4 ,this volcano has been in action from time immemorial1 as the natives all assert1 and has been with them an object of idolatrous worship4 ,the range of mountains continues for some thirty miles beyond this1 and terminates in the snow-capped summit of ,mounadoa4 ,this mountain is in full sight at ,hilo1 and about thirty miles distant4 ,since we have been here it has been the scene of the most wonderful volcanic eruptions ever yet seen on this island4 ,mr4 ,p----1 in company with ,mr4 ,c----1 visited it a week or two since1 and ascended the mountain to the old crater1 from whence the flood of lava proceeded4 ,fire has not been seen in it within the remembrance of the oldest natives4 ,an immense river of burning lava is at this time running down the side of the mountain1 in a subterraneous channel1 from three to four miles wide4 ,they had a good view of it through air-holes in the lava1 over which they were walking1 which was like a sea of glass2 frequently sinking in different places in consequence of the intense heat below4 ,it will probably yet find its way to the surface somewhere1 and1 laying prostrate every thing that opposes it1 pursue its devastating course to the sea4 ,truly we live in a world of wonders6' ,,by the by1 speaking of volcanos3 it will be remembered that in #ahca an island was thrown up by volcanic eruption in the ,mediterranean sea1 off the south coast of ,sicily4 ,it presented the form of a round hill1 about one hundred and twenty feet above the sea's level1 with thick clouds of white smoke issuing from it4 ,as may well be imagined1 it excited great wonder and curiosity1 and was visited by vast numbers of people4 ,an ,austrian1 a ,french and a ,british vessel met there at the same time4 ,a dispute arose as to what power the island should belong1 what it should be named1 etc42 when a ,british sailor leaped on shore1 and planted on the topmost peak the union-jack4 ,nine cheers proclaimed ,britannia victorious4 ,on returning shortly after1 to take another look at their newly-acquired possession1 they found to their dismay that1 like ,aladdin's palace1 the island had disappeared1 leaving the ,mediterranean as smooth as if the magic wonder had never reared its head6 ,this circumstance suggested the following lines by a correspondent3 ,,father ,,neptune1 one day1 as he traversed the seas1 ,much wanted a spot to recline at his ease3 ,for long tossed and tired by the billow's commotion1 '',tis a shame1' cried the god1 ',i'm confined to the ocean4 ,i'll have an island6' ,to ,,vulcan he flew1 ,saying1 ',help me this time1 and in turn ,i'll help you4 ,to make a new island's an excellent scheme2 ,and ,i think1 my dear ,,vulcan1 we'll raise it by steam4' ',agreed6' cried the god4 ,straight to work they repair1 ,and throw an abundance of smoke in the air4 ,this mariners saw1 and it did them affright2 ,they straightway concluded all could not be right4 ',we'll to ,sicily repair1 and appeal to powers civil1 ,for certainly this is the work of the devil6' ,the ,austrians and ,french came the wonder to view3 ,said ,britain1 in anger1 ',that isle's not for you6 ,for us1 us alone1 did ,britannia design it1 ,and1 d' ye see1 we'll be d----d if we ever resign it6 ,on that island we'll land6 there our standard we'll raise6 ,we will there plant our jack1 if the island should blaze6' ,the gods1 in great wrath1 heard all this contention3 ',dear ,,neptune1' said ,,vul41 'this has spoiled our invention4' ',it has1' said the god1 'but1 ,i swear by my trident1 ,the proud sons of ,britain shall never abide on 't6 ,it was raised for a god1 and no vile worthless mortal ,on that island shall dwell1 to eat oysters and turtle4 ,down6 down with it1 ,,vul41 that will best end the quarrel1 ,and ,i'll be content with my old bed of coral4' 99 99 99 99 99 ',,milk ,,for ,,babes1' an elaborately-concocted satire upon a certain class of 'learned and pious hand-books for urchins of both sexes1' is not without humor1 and ridicules what indeed in some respects deserves animadversion4 ,we affect as little as our correspondent what has been rightly termed 'a clumsy fumbling for the half-formed intellect1 a merciless hunting down of the tender and unfledged thought1' through the means of 'instructive' little books1 wherein an insipid tale goes feebly wriggling through an unmerciful load of moral1 religious and scientific preaching2 or an apparently simple dialogue involves subjects of the highest difficulty1 which are chattered over between two juvenile prodigies1 or delivered to them in mouthfuls1 curiously adapted to their powers of swallowing4 ',the minor manners and duties1' says our correspondent1 'are quite overlooked by misguided parents now-a-days2' and this he illustrates by an anecdote3 ',,thomas1 my son1' said a father to a lad in my hearing1 the other day1 'won't you show the gentleman your last composition8' ',i don't want to1' said he4 ',i wish you would1' responded the father4 ',i wont6' was the reply2 ',i'll be goy-blamed if ,i do6' ,a sickly1 half-approving smile passed over the face of the father1 as he said1 in extenuation of his son's brusquerie3 ',tom don't lack manners generally2 but the fact is1 he's got such a cold1 he is almost a fool6' ,kind parent6 happy boy6 ,,we would counsel such of our readers as can command it1 to secure the perusal of ',hugh ,adamson's ,reply to ,john ,campbell1' in the matter of international copy-right4 ,mr4 ,,campbell1 being a paper dealer1 and greatly benefitted in his business by the increased sale of stock consequent upon the influx of cheap republications1 is naturally very anxious to prevent the passage of an international copy-right law4 ,as might be anticipated of such an advocate1 his real reasons are all based upon the argumentum ad crumenam1 the argument to the purse4 ,mr4 ,,adamson1 in a few satirical1 well-reasoned1 sententious paragraphs1 has fairly demolished the superstructure which ,selfishness had reared1 and exposed the misrepresentations upon which alone the unsubstantial fabric could have rested4 ,it is quiet and good-natured1 but cutting2 and will act as an antidote to the elaborate sophistry of ,mr4 ,,campbell',s ambitious brochure4 ,,we think we shall publish ',l4 ,d4 ,q4's ',parody2' but should like him to change the third stanza1 which is 'like a mildewed ear1 blasting its wholesome brothers4' ,the other verses are capital4 ,one of the cleverest modern parodies which we remember1 was written in a ,philadelphia journal1 and touched upon some exciting city event1 before the ,court of ,sessions4 ,it was in the measure of ',the ,cork ,leg1' and ran somewhat as follows3 ',the defendant said that it was too bad ,to be taken up before ,judge ,,con-,,rad4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now ,mr4 ,h----1 the lawyer1 was there1 ,with a pretty good head1 but not very much hair1 ,so little1 in fact1 that a wig he must wear1 ,ri tu den u-den a6' ,the parody had the jogging1 jolting air of the original1 and was replete1 we recollect1 with whimsical associations4 ,,we shall venture to present here the comments of two most valued friends and contributors1 upon the performances of two other esteemed friends and favorite correspondents4 ,of ',the ,venus of ,ille1' the one writes as follows3 ',i fully sympathise with you in your admiration of this tale1 as well as of ',the ,innocence of a ,galley-,slave4' ,i could not in the perusal of them both but feel the vast superiority of the ,grecian over the ,gothic style4 ,for in spite of all the humor and wit and nature and pathos of the ,,dickens and ,,lever school1 there is something more of the ,gothic and grotesque in their paintings than in these pure and unforced limnings of the able ,frenchman4 ,where the ground-work of the tale is of sufficiently bold conception1 and the incidents offer hooks enough to hang interest upon1 there can be no doubt that this cool style is by far the most effectual in the end4 ,the more strained and heated style of some other modern authors will be very effectual for awhile1 but the excitement of the reader will flag sooner4 ,the reason is1 that too much descriptive and passionate power is expended on minor portions of the tale2 and the enthusiasm of the reader is partially exhausted before he comes to the grand catastrophe1 where it should be most of all elicited4 ,but writers like ,,walter ,,scott1 or this ,frenchman1 are self-possessed and meditative in a great portion of their writings2 by skilful touches giving the reader every thing necessary for him to know in reference to characters and scenes2 and on any great emergency their sudden heat carries the reader away captive4' ,the admiration expressed by our other accomplished friend for the chaste and graceful essays of a still more accomplished correspondent 7there is nothing like disparagement in this comparison7 is widely shared1 as we have the best reason to know1 by our readers on both sides of the ,atlantic3 ',,john ,,waters6 ,there is a drab-coated plainness about the name1 which is at the same time liquid and musical2 not more liquid and musical1 howbeit1 than those charming commentaries of his on every variety of quaint topic2 full of an amiable grace1 tinged with the most delicate hue of a fine humor2 a refined ore drawn from no ordinary mine without alloy2 like the compositions of ,,sappho1 to which an unerring critic has applied the expression1 ,greek3 chruseiotera chrusou2 the very best of gold4 ,doves never bore choicer billet-doux beneath their wings4 ,a beautiful sentiment always touches the heart1 though couched in homely phrase2 but when one knows how to cull from our mother-tongue the most expressive words1 and has gained that enviable mastery1 making them fall into their own places1 and thus become inseparable from the idea1 the perfection of art is gained4 ,serve us up these choice morceaux each month1 dear ,,editor2 let them not be missed from the generous board1 lest the banquet be incomplete4 ,let me tell you1 in passing1 that your correspondent ,,harry ,,franco',s tale is a caution to dowagers4 ,never have ,i encountered such a startling incident on the high seas1 out of ',,don ,,juan4' ,,did it occur to ',n4' that the change suggested in the mere inscription of his epigram1 ',religious ,disputation1' would be entirely out of keeping8 ',uniting the circumstances1' as ,commissioner ,,lin would say1 would produce such discrepancy as was occasioned lately at a democratic meeting in one of the western ,states1 where a certain resolution in favor of our old friend and correspondent1 ,gen4 ,,cass1 was made to undergo a slight metamorphosis by the substitution of the name of ,mr4 ,,van ,,buren2 causing it to read something like this3 ',whereas ,gen4 ,,martin ,,van ,,buren emigrated to the west from ,new-,hampshire in early life with his knapsack on his back1 and unsheathed his sword in repelling the ,indians and fighting against the ,british6' etc4 ,this historical fiction1 in the antagonistic excitement of the moment1 was carried by an almost unanimous vote6 ,,inversion of mere words1 or involution of phrase and syntax1 let us whisper in the ear of our ,troy correspondent1 is not a very great beauty in poetry4 ,his own good thoughts are spoiled by this affectation4 ,it requires an artist to employ frequent inversion successfully4 ,the opening of the ',lines on a ,bust of ,dante'1 by ,mr4 ,t4 ,w4 ,,parsons1 affords a pleasing example in this kind4 ,it is clear and musical3 ',see from this counterfeit of him ,whom ,arno shall remember long1 ,how stern of lineament1 how grim ,the father was of ,tuscan song4' ,inversion should be naturally suggested1 not forced4 ,,it is to be inferred1 we fear1 that the late 'principal editor' of the ',brother ,jonathan' does not take it in good part that the new proprietors of that now popular journal saw fit to arrest its rapid decadence1 by a removal of the inevitable cause of such a consummation4 ,lo6 how from his distant down-east ambush1 with characteristic phrase1 he denounces them as 'cowards' and 'puppies6' ,whereupon1 in a response appropriately brief1 the 'brave few' of the 'principal editor's' old readers who have 'endured unto the end1' are informed by the new incumbent1 that the tabooed ci-devant functionary 'seems disturbed because he was not suffered to kill the ',brother ,jonathan' as he had killed every journal in which he was permitted to pour out his vapid balderdash4 ,he is a perfect ,,bluebeard among newspapers4 ,he no sooner slaughters one1 than he manages to get hold of another1 and butcher that with the same remorseless indifference4' ,the editor adds3 ',he once enjoyed the honor of some connection with the ',new ,world1' and would have consigned that well-known sheet to the tomb of the ,capulets1 had not the publishers foreseen the danger1 and escaped in season4' ,we merely note these facts1 as corroborative of a remark or two of our own1 in our last issue4 ',an ,incident in ,normandy'1 we shrewdly suspect1 is not 'from the ,french2' if it be1 all that we have to say is1 that such pseudo-rhapsodists as the writer could never by any possibility love nature4 ,the thing is altogether over-done4 ,a ,frenchman's opinion1 however1 ,,cowell tells us1 should never be taken where the beauties of nature are concerned1 unless they can be cooked4 ,there is another grave objection to the article2 which consists in the undue frequency of ,italian and ,french words and phrases1 foisted into the narrative4 ,we have a strong attachment to plain1 perspicuous ,english4 ,ours is a noble language1 a beautiful language2 and we hold fully with ,,southey1 who somewhere remarks that he can tolerate a ,germanism1 for family sake2 but he adds3 ',he who uses a ,latin or a ,french phrase where a pure old ,english word does as well1 ought to be hung1 drawn and quartered1 for high treason against his mother-tongue4' ',the ,song of the ,new ,year1 by ,mrs4 ,,nichols1 in a late number1' writes a ,boston correspondent1 'is an excellent production1 and a fair specimen of the improved style of our occasional ,american verse4 ,suppose a book-worm should light on poetry of equal merit among ,,flatman',s1 ,,falconer',s1 ,,prior',s1 or ,,parsell',s collections8 ,would it not shine forth1 think you8 ,indeed our lady-writers are wresting the plume from our male pen mongers unco fast4' ',that's a fact4' ,mrs4 ,,nichols has a sister-poet at ,louisville1 ,kentucky1 who has a very charming style and a delicious fancy4 ,a late verse of hers in some ',lines to a ,rainbow1' signed ',,amelia1' which we encountered at a reading-room the other day1 have haunted our memory ever since3 ',there are moments1 ,i think1 when the spirit receives ,whole volumes of thought on its unwritten leaves2 ,when the folds of the heart in a moment unclose1 ,like the innermost leaves from the heart of a rose4' ,,moore never conceived a more beautiful simile than this4 ,,number ,,two of the ',reminiscences of a ,dartmoor ,prisoner' will appear in our next issue4 ,we have received from the writer a very interesting and amusing manuscript-volume1 filled with patriotic poetry1 containing vivid pictures of scenes and events in the daily routine of the prison1 as well as sketches of ,melville ,island ,prison1 and reminiscences of striking events in the lives of sundry of the prisoners1 in the progress of the ,american war4 ,we shall refer more particularly to this entertaining collection in an ensuing number4 ,,the ,lines on ',niagara ,falls at ,night' are entirely too terrific for our pages4 ,they are almost as 'love-lily dreadful' as the great scene itself4 ',m4' must 'try again1' that is quite certain2 and we are afraid1 more than once4 ,,tu ,,doces6 ,doubtless many of our young readers1 especially in the country1 have often pondered over the zig-zag hieroglyphics which covered the tea-chests at the village-store1 and marvelled what ',,howqua1' which was inseparable from these inscriptions1 could mean4 ,it was the name of the great ,hong merchant1 'the friend of ,americans1' who died recently at ,canton1 at an advanced age1 leaving his vast wealth to two sons4 ,here is an elegy written upon his death by his brother-merchant ,,tingqua1 which is now being sung about ,canton to a dolorous air1 accompanied by the yeih-pa and the tchung1 a curious sort of guitar and harp in common use4 ,the elegy comprises a little outline1 together with hints and allusions1 prettily conveyed1 of the principal biographical events of ,,howqua',s career1 and is entitled ,,tingqua',s ,,tears4 ,i weep for ,,howqua4 ,he was the friend of my youth4 ,we often rose before day-break1 and gazed together at the soft blue clouds round the retiring moon4 ,at that time ,i smiled on ,,howqua4 ,we both grew old together4 ,we often went to the tombs of our fathers1 side by side1 and thought tenderly of the loving dead4 ,weep friends of the ,hong4 ,all friends at home 7literally ,celestial friends17 and all natives of outside countries weep2 weep excessively4 ,for ,,howqua is no more4 ,,howqua was a fixed man4 ,he had reason4 ,loving old laws1 old customs1 and all things long since established as wise1 he therefore hated change4 ,,howqua was very rich4 ,he had no half-thinkers and third-smokers 7meaning no partners17 and no branch-breakers to his universal tea-dealings4 ,also he had lands for rice and pasture1 and to play at ball1 and villas1 and ponds of fish1 and fifteen field-bridges of carved wood gilt1 and seven domestic bridges inlaid with ivory birds and dragons4 ,also he had money in the foreign mysteries 7probably meaning the funds47 ,also he had doings with several things of great value1 and shares of large ship-loads4 ,but never would he touch the hateful opium-trade1 after the recent mad insolences4 ,also he had some wives4 ,also the ,,great ,,emperor loved him1 though ,,howqua was only as the poorest man before that ,yellow ,illumination of our day and night4 ,the body of my friend was slight1 and easily injured2 like the outside of people's pocket-watch when she walk against the sun 7that is1 an injured watch that goes wrong47 ,but my dear friend for whom ,i shed these tears had a head with many eyes4 ,,howqua knew what to do with his unnecessary gold4 ,he built a temple to ,buddha1 and thus made the god a present of #b1jjj1jjj dollars1 to the excessive delight of his ,essence and ,image4 ,also1 ,,howqua gave #hjj1jjj dollars to assist the ransom of his beloved ,canton from the fangs of the late war2 to the excessive delight of the ,fighting-minded ,barbarians4 ,weep1 then1 for ,,howqua1 even as ,i weep4 ,he was the friend of my youth4 ,together we grew old1 walking toward our fathers' tombs4 ,we might have died together2 but it is well that one old friend should be left a little while to weep4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,the paper upon ',american ,interior and ,exterior ,architecture' we are quite certain would not have the tendency which the writer contemplates4 ,it would discourage rather than foster that better taste which is gaining ground among us4 ,in this city1 how great have been the improvements in the exterior and interior decorations of our dwellings1 within the last eight years6 ,we remember the time as it were but yesterday1 when the beautiful muslin window-shades1 first introduced among us by ,mr4 ,,george ,,platt1 were considered a luxury of interior decoration--as indeed many of them were4 ,but from these small yet promising beginnings1 our accomplished artist has gone on1 until his extensive establishment is filled with specimens of rich and elaborate architectural decorations1 for the various styles of which the reigns of ,french and ,english sovereigns have been put under the most liberal contribution4 ,our wealthy and tasteful citizens have vied with each other in the enriching and beautifying of their mansions2 while1 also emulous1 a kindred class in our sister-cities have laid requisitions upon ,mr4 ,,platt',s architectural and decorative genius1 7for in him it is genius1 and of no intermediate order17 which have convinced him at least1 that the 'laggard taste' which our correspondent arraigns1 is 'not so slow' as he seems to imagine4 ,,who was ',dandy ,jim from ,caroline1' of whom every boy in the street is either whistling or singing1 and whom we 'have heard spoken of' by musical instruments and that of all sorts1 at every party or ball which we have found leisure to attend during the gay season8 ,we are the more anxious to glean some particulars touching the origin and history of this personage1 because his fame is rife among our legislators1 and the 'lobby-interest' at ,albany2 if we may judge from a quatrain before us1 which hints at a verbal peculiarity of our excellent representative1 ,alderman ,,varian1 whose v always takes the form of a w1 especially in his rendering of a foreign tongue2 as witness his being 'just on the qwi-wi-we for the capitol1' on one occasion1 and the subjoined versification of another of his ,latin sentences1 with cockney 'wariations3' ',then here's a health to ,,wari-,,an1 ,that ',weni1 widi1 wici' man6 ,he talk de grammar werry fine1 ,like ,,dandy ,,jim o' ,caroline3 ,for my ole massa tol' me so1' etc4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is in these humane and benevolent days an increasing sympathy in the public mind for a man condemned to 'march sorrowfully up to the gallows1 there to be noosed up1 vibrate his hour1 and await the dissecting-knife of the surgeon1' who fits his bones into a skeleton for medical purposes4 ',there never was a public hanging1' says a late advocate of the abolition of capital punishment1 'that was productive of any thing but evil4' ,there is an anecdote recorded of ,,whitfield1 however1 which seems to refute this position1 in at least one instance4 ,this eloquent divine1 while at ,edinburgh1 attended a public execution4 ,his appearance upon the ground drew the eyes of all around him1 and raised a variety of opinions as to the motives which led him to join in the crowd4 ,the next day1 being ,sunday1 he preached to a large body of men1 women and children1 in a field near the city4 ,in the course of his sermon1 he adverted to the execution which had taken place the preceding day4 ',i know1' said he1 'that many of you will find it difficult to reconcile my appearance yesterday with my character4 ,many of you will say1 that my moments would have been better employed in praying with the unhappy man1 than in attending him to the fatal tree1 and that perhaps curiosity was the only cause that converted me into a spectator on that occasion3 but those who ascribe that uncharitable motive to me are under a mistake4 ,i witnessed the conduct of almost every one present on that occasion1 and ,i was highly pleased with it4 ,it has given me a very favorable impression of the ,scottish nation4 ,your sympathy was visible on your countenances1 and reflected the greatest honor on your hearts3 particularly when the moment arrived in which your unhappy fellow creature was to close his eyes on this world forever1 you all1 as if moved by one impulse1 turned your heads aside and wept4 ,those tears were precious1 and will be held in remembrance4 ,how different was it when the ,saviour of mankind was extended on the cross6 ,the ,jews1 instead of sympathizing in his sorrows1 triumphed in them4 ,they reviled him with bitter expressions1 with words even more bitter than the gall and vinegar which they gave him to drink4 ,not one of them all that witnessed his pains1 turned the head aside even in the last pang4 ,yes1 there was one2 that glorious luminary1 7pointing to the sun17 veiled his bright face and sailed on in tenfold night6' ,this is eloquence6 ,would that we could have seen the beaming features1 the 'melting eye1 turned toward heaven1' which indelibly impressed these words upon the heart of every hearer6 ,,many of our readers will doubtless remember the time when ,professor ,j----1 the celebrated 'artist in hair1' was flourishing in his glory1 and when his fame was perhaps as rife in ,new-,york and ,boston as that of any man living1 in his line of art4 ,his advertisements too1 so unique in their grandiloquent phraseology1 will not soon be forgotten by those who relish such things4 ,the ,professor is not now1 as regards worldly prosperity1 the man he used to be2 but his gentlemanly feeling still clings to him1 and his pride in his profession is as enthusiastic as ever4 ,we observe by a ,boston journal that he is once more trying his luck in our eastern metropolis2 and this reminds us of an anecdote concerning him4 ,a friend tells us that some months since he encountered the professor at a coffee-house1 where he was rehearsing to a rather verdant customer the former glories of his professional life4 ,among other things1 ',at one time1' said he1 ',i was sent for by express1 to go to ,philadelphia on professional business4' ',to do what8' asked his listener4 ',to make wigs for the ,signers of the ,declaration of ,independence6' replied ,j----1 with a pompous air4 ,now the professor's comrade was not very quick-witted1 as we have already hinted1 and it did not occur to him at the moment whether the signers were men only of yesterday1 or of the last century2 and he rejoined1 in a tone of wonder3 ',what6 do they all wear wigs8' ',all8' replied the professor1 with a look of mingled piety and triumph2 'why1 ,sir1 did you ever know a wax-figure to wear its own hair8 ,men of flesh and blood1 now-a-days1 don't know any better2 but the man of wax1 ,sir1 possesses a truer taste1 and always consults the ,,perruquier6' ,the relator says it would be impossible to convey an adequate idea of the superb manner in which the last word was uttered2 the full round tone1 and the tonsorial flourish of the right hand1 as if it still grasped the magic brush and scissors4 ,,the reader will have gathered from an incidental allusion in an article by ,mr4 ,,george ,,harvey1 in our last number1 some idea of the fervent enthusiasm with which he has studied and copied ,nature1 in her every variety of season and changes of the hour1 in executing his beautiful ,landscape ,drawings4 ,we have neither the leisure nor space for an adequate notice of these pictures2 but being solicitous that our town readers should participate in the great enjoyment which they have afforded us1 we would direct them to ,mr4 ,,harvey',s exhibition-room at the old ,apollo ,gallery1 nearly opposite the ,hospital1 in ,broadway4 ,,here is a pleasant specimen of an ',unnecessary ,disclaimer1' for which we are indebted to a metropolitan friend3 ',a few evenings since1 as a gentleman was walking up ,broadway1 and just as he was crossing the side-walk at the junction of ,white-street1 his feet suddenly slipped from under him1 his hat flew forward with the involuntary jerk1 and he measured his length on the side-walk1 striking his bare head on the hard ice1 till all rang again4 ,at the instant it chanced that a lady and gentleman were just emerging from ,white-street into ,broadway1 and the prostrate sufferer1 lying directly across their path1 interrupted for a moment their farther progress4 ,he soon recovered his feet1 however1 and with one hand on his newly-developed bump1 and the other on his breast1 he turned to the couple whose passage he had impeded1 and exclaimed with cool gravity3 ',excuse me2 ,i didn't intend to do it6' ,probably he didn't2 at all events1 his word was not disputed4 ,,most likely our readers have not forgotten an admirable satire upon the ',songs of the ,troubadours1' from which we extracted some months since the affecting story of ',the ,taylzour's ,daughter4' ,something in the same style is ',the ,doleful ,lay of the ,honorable ,i4 ,o4 ,uwins1' a gentleman who threw himself away upon a bailiff's daughter1 to escape from the restraints and pungent odors of a sponging-house4 ,the 'whole course of wooing' and the result are hinted at in the ensuing lines3 ',there he sate in grief and sorrow1 ,rather drunk than otherwise1 ,till the golden gush of morrow ,dawned once more upon his eyes2 ,till the spunging bailiff's daughter1 ,lightly tapping at the door1 ,brought his draught of soda-water1 ,brandy-bottomed as before4 ',sweet ,,rebecca6 has your father1 ,think you1 made a deal of brass8' ,and she answered3 ',sir1 ,i rather ,should imagine that he has4' ,,uwins1 then1 his whiskers scratching1 ,leer'd upon the maiden's face2 ,and her hands with ardor catching1 ,folded her in his embrace4 ',la1 ,sir6 let alone--you fright me6' ,said the daughter of the ,jew3 ',dearest6 how these eyes delight me6 ,let me love thee1 darling1 do6' ',vat is dish8' the bailiff mutter'd1 ,rushing in with fury wild2 ',ish your muffins so vell butter'd ,dat you darsh insult ma shild8' ',honorable my intentions1 ,good ,,abednego1 ,i swear6 ,and ,i have some small pretensions1 ,for ,i am a ,baron's heir4 ,if you'll only clear my credit1 ,and a thousand give or so1 ,she's a peeress2 ,i have said it6 ,don't you twig1 ,,abednego8' ',datsh a very different matter6' ,said the bailiff1 with a leer2 ',but you musht not cut it fatter ,than ta slish will shtand1 ma tear6 ,if you seeksh ma approbation1 ,you must quite give up your rigsh2 ,alsho1 you mosht join our nation1 ,and renounch ta flesh of pigsh4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,at a meeting of the ,rabbis1 ,held about the ,whitsuntide1 ,was this thorough-paced ,barabbas ,wedded to his ,hebrew bride4 ,all his former debts compounded1 ,from the spunging-house he came2 ,and his father's feelings wounded ,with reflections on the same4' ,it is a very dear marriage for ,,uwins1 for on visiting his father the ,baron1 that incensed nobleman tells the double-dyed apostate never to cross his threshold again1 and directs ,,john the porter to kick him into the street4 ,the order is anticipated3 ',forth rushed ,i4 ,o4 ,,uwins1 faster ,than all winking1 much afraid ,that the orders of the master ,would be punctually obeyed2 ,sought his club1 and there the sentence ,of expulsion first he saw3 ,no one dared to own acquaintance ,with a bailiff's son-in-law4 ,uselessly down ,bond-street strutting1 ,did he greet his friends of yore2 ,such a universal cutting ,never man received before4 ,till at last his pride revolted2 ,pale1 and lean1 and stern1 he grew2 ,and his wife ,,rebecca bolted ,with a missionary ,jew4 ,ye who read this doleful ditty1 ,ask ye where is ,,uwins now8 ,wend your way through ,london city1 ,climb to ,holborn's lofty brow2 ,near the sign-post of ',the ,nigger1' ,near the baked-potato shed1 ,you may see a ghastly figure1 ,with three hats upon his head4 ,when the evening shades are dusky1 ,then the phantom form draws near1 ,and1 with accents low and husky1 ,pours effluvia in your ear2 ,craving an immediate barter ,of your trousers or surtout1 ,and you know the ,hebrew martyr1 ,once the peerless ,i4 ,o4 ,u4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,a friend1 in a recent letter to the ,editor1 thus alludes to the ',national ,intelligencer1' one of the ablest and most dignified journals in the country1 and to two of its 'special correspondents3' ',mr4 ,,walsh1 who writes from ,paris1 seems an incorporation of ,european literature and politics2 and his articles are1 in my belief1 the most valuable now contributed to any journal in the world4 ,willis is the lightest and most mercurial 'knight of the quill' in all the tournament4 ,it is astonishing with what dexterity1 felicity1 and grace he touches off the veriest trifle of the day1 investing the trite with originality1 and giving the value of wit and poetry to the worthless and the dry4 ,pity that this brilliant 'quid nunc' should degenerate into a mere trifling 'arbiter elegantiarum1' and expend his buoyant and ductile genius in the indictment of ephemeral paragraphs4 ,his genius1 it is true1 has little solidity2 but if he would rest two or three years on his oars1 he might collect the scatterings of wit and poetry1 which would in that time accrue to him from his readings and reflections1 into a volume of essays1 etc41 which would be inferior in brilliancy and piquancy to but few of any nation4' ,possibly2 but in the mean time1 let us advise our friend1 ,mr4 ,,willis has the little substantials of every-day life to look after4 ,he 'pleases to write' frequently and currente calamo1 because he 'pleases to live4' ,fame is one thing1 and can be waited for2 there are other things that cannot tarry so well4 ,mr4 ,,willis has 'seen the elephant4' ,he knows that ,,kenny ,,meadows is not far out of the way in his humorous picture of ',the ,man of ,fame and the ,man of ,funds1' wherein a shadowy hand protrudes from cloud-land1 holding a pair of steel-yards1 to resolve the comparative weight of an appetizing leg-of-mutton1 and a huge laurel-wreath4 ,the mutton 'has it' all to nothing1 and the wreath 'kicks the beam6 ,,punch1 up to the latest dates1 suddenly makes his appearance in our sanctum4 ,merriest of ,merry ,andrews1 he is ever welcome6 ,his ',,comic ,,blackstone1' must be of great service to legal gentlemen4 ,in it1 among other things1 we are enlightened as to the ',rights of the ,clergy4' ,we subjoin a few items3 ',an archbishop is a sort of inspector of all the bishops in his province2 but he does not call them out as an inspector would so many policemen1 to examine their mitres1 and see that their lawn sleeves are properly starched1 before going on duty in their respective dioceses4 ,an archbishop may call out the bishops1 just as a militia colonel may call out the militia4' ',a bishop 7episcopes7 is literally an overseer1 instead of which it is notorious that some of them are overlookers of their duties1 and blind to the state of their diocese1 though they call it their see4' ',the duties incumbent on a parson are1 first to act as the incumbent1 by living in the place where he has his living4 ,formerly1 a clergyman had what is called the benefit of clergy in cases of felony2 a privilege which1 if a layman had asked for1 he would have been told that the authorities would 'see him hanged first4' ',a curate is the lowest grade in the church1 for he is a sort of journeyman parson1 and several of them meet at a house of call in ,st4 ,paul's ,church-,yard1 ready to job a pulpit by the day1 and being in fact 'clergyman taken in to bait' by the landlord of the house alluded to4' ,concerning ',subordinate ,magistrates1' as officers of the customs1 overseers of the poor1 etc41 we glean the following information3 ',tide-waiters are overseers of the customs duties1 therefore it is their duty to overlook the customs4 ,custom is unwritten law1 and a practice may be termed a custom when it can be proved to have lasted for a hundred years4 ,now1 can any man doubt that the custom of defrauding the customs has endured more than a hundred years8 ,then the practice has become a law1 and for observing this law1 which1 it seems1 is one of our time-revered institutions1 and a profitable proof of the wisdom of our ancestors1 landing-waiters and tradesmen are to be prosecuted and punished4 ,monstrous injustice6' ',overseers of the ,poor are functionaries who sometimes literally over-see or over-look the cases of distress requiring assistance4 ,the poor law of ,,elizabeth has been superseded by a much poorer law of ,,william the ,fourth1 the one great principle of which is1 to afford the luxury of divorce to persons in needy circumstances4 ,it also discountenances relief to the able-bodied1 a point which is effected by disabling1 as far as possible1 any body who comes into the work-house4 ,the ,poor ,law is administered by three ,commissioners1 who spend their time in diluting gruel and writing reports2 trying experiments how little will suffice to prevent a repeal of the union between the soul and the body4' ,we have this information concerning the clock heretofore complained of3 ',,punch has been accused of hitting this clock very hard when it was down2 and it certainly must be admitted that it was wholly unable to strike in return4 ,we are happy to say that the wound has been followed by the clock being at last wound1 and we now offer to take it by the hands in a spirit of friendship4 ,we have been told that the long stagnation has been caused by the absurd scruples of the pendulum1 which refused to go from side to side1 lest it should be accused of inconsistency4' ,under the different months1 ',,punch',s ,almanack' gives many important directions1 one of which is for the proprietors of the public gardens3 ',now trim your lamps1 water your lake1 graft new noses on statues1 plant your money-taker1 and if the season be severe1 cut your sticks4' ,the following ',tavern ,measure' is doubtless authentic3 ,two 'goes' make one gill2 two gills one 'lark2' two larks one riot2 two riots one cell1 or station-house1 equivalent to five shillings4' ,for office-clerks1 as follows3 ,two drams make one 'go2' two goes one head-ache2 two head-aches one lecture2 two lectures 'the sack4' ,to those gentlemen who are lovers of the ,virginia weed in its native purity1 a list of prices1 'furnished by one of the first ,spanish houses1' is published4 ,it includes 'choice high-dried dock-leaf regalias1' 'fine old cabbage ,cuba's1' 'genuine goss-lettuce ,havana's1' and 'full-flavored brown-paper ,government ,manilla's6' ,two scraps under the head of ',university ,intelligence' must close our quotations3 ',given the force with which your fist is propelled against a cabman1 and the angle at which it strikes him2 required the area of mud he will cover on reaching the horizontal plane4' ',show the incorrectness of using imaginary quantities1 by attempting to put off your creditors with repeated promises to pay them out of your ,pennsylvania dividends4' ,,many ,german physicians and surgeons hold that there remains in the brain of a decollated head some degree of thought1 and in the nerves something of sensibility4 ,it is stated by his biographer1 that in the case of ,sir ,,everard ,,digby1 executed for a participation in the ,gunpowder ,plot1 the tongue pronounced several words after the head was severed from the body4 ,after the execution of ,,charlotte ,,corday1 also1 it is alleged that the executioner held up her lovely head by its beautiful hair1 and slapped the pale cheeks1 which instantly reddened1 and gave to the features such an expression of unequivocal indignation1 that the spectators1 struck by the change of color1 with loud murmurs cried out for vengeance on barbarity so cowardly and atrocious4 ',it could not be said1' writes ,dr4 ,,sue1 a physician of the first eminence and authority in ,paris1 'that the redness was caused by the blow1 since no blow can ever recall any thing like color to the cheeks of a corpse2 beside1 this blow was given on one cheek1 and the other equally reddened4' ,singular facts4 ,do they not militate against certain theories of 'nervous sensation' recently promulgated in our philosophical circles8 ,,doesn',t it sicken you1 reader1 to hear a young lady use that common but horrid commercial metaphor1 'first-rate8' ',how did you like ,,castellan1 last evening1 ,miss ,,huggins8' ',oh1 first-rate6' ',when a girl makes use of this expression1' writes an eastern friend1 ',i mutter inly1' ',your pa' sells figs and salt-fish1 ,i know he does4' ,and it is all very well and proper1 if he does2 but for the miserable compound itself1 pray kill it dead in your ,magazine6 ,hit it hard6 ,by the by1 talking of odd phrases1 hear this4 ,a young ,italian friend of mine1 fresh from ,sicily as his own oranges1 a well-educated1 talented person1 who has labored hard to get familiar with ,english letters1 and has read our authors1 from ,,chaucer downward1 dilated thus on the poets3 ',,po-,,pe is very mosh like ,,horace2 ,i like him very mosh2 but ,i tink ,,bir-,,ron was very sorry poet4' ',what6' quoth ,i1 ',,byron a sorry poet6 ,i thought he was a favorite with ,italians8' ',oh1 yes2 ,i adore him very mosh2 ,i almost do admire him2 but he was very sorry poet4' ',how so8 ,,byron a sorry bard8' ',oh1 yes1 very sorry2 don't you think so8 molto triste--very mel-an-choly2 don't you find him so8 ,i always feel very sorry when ,i read him4 ,i think he's far more sorry than ,,petrarca2 don't you8' ,this will remind the reader of the very strong term used by a ,frenchman1 who on being asked at a soire what was the cause of his evident sadness1 replied3 ',i av just hear my fader he die3 ,i am ver' mosh dissatisfied6' ,,we shall probably find a place for the paper entitled ',foreigners in ,america4' ,the writer touches with a trenchant pen upon 'the social abuses which the first families in the metropolis tolerate at the hands of disreputable exquisites and titled rascals4' ,nervous words1 but not undeserved4 ',how much more rapidly a fashionable foreigner will move in the high road of preferment than one of your thinking1 feeling1 complex persons1 in whom honor1 integrity and reason make such a pother that no step can be taken without consulting them6' ,,we have indulged in one or two sonorous guffaws1 and several of ,mr4 ,,cooper's 'silent laughs1' over the following 'palpable hit' from a ,new-,jersey journal3 ',a talking-machine1' says the ',newton ,herald1' 'which speaks passable ,french1 capital ,english1 and choice ,italian1 is now to be seen at ,new-,york4 ,it is made of wood1 brass1 and gum-elastic4' ',a similar machine1' adds the ',sussex ,register1' 'compounded of buckram1 brass1 and soap-locks1 and familiarly called ',,green ,,josey1' is to be seen in ,newton1 at the ,herald office2 though we cannot say that it speaks any language 'passably4' ,it frequently makes the attempt1 however1 and here is one of its last 'essays3' ',gov4 ,,gilmer is understood to have had a standing ,,cart-,,balance for any appointment under the present administration1 which he might choose to except2 but he will not except an appointment of any kind under this administration4' ,isn't that 'standing cart-balance' rich8 ,the usual phrase carte-blanche1 which in the sentence quoted might be rendered by 'unconditional offer1' is transmogrified into cart-balance6 ,among all the blunders perpetrated by conceited ignorance in its attempts to parley-voo1 this stands unequalled4 ,we have seen hic jacet turned into his jacket1 in an obituary2 that was a trifle2 but ,,cart-,,balance overcomes our gravity6' ,so it does ours4 ,the anecdote1 to adopt the reading of a kindred accomplished linguist whom we wot of1 is a 'capital jesus-de-sprit6' ,,the beginning of ',l4's ',stanzas' is by no means unpromising2 but what a 'lame and impotent conclusion6' ',lord ,,howe he went out1 ,and ,,lord6 how he came in6' ,the third verse would do credit to ,,street1 so graphic and poetical are the rural images introduced2 but it runs into the fourth1 a stanza 'most tolerable1 and not to be endured4' ,our young friend may be assured that we shall not 'regard with indifference' any thing from his pen that may fulfil the promise of the lines to which we allude4 ,na'theless1 he must 'squeeze out more of his whey4' ,,the admirers of one of the most popular contributors that this ,magazine ever enjoyed1 will be glad to meet with the following announcement3 ',,burgess1 ,,stringer ,,and ,,company1 corner of ,broadway and ,ann-street1 ,new-,york1 have in press the ,literary ,remains of the late ,,willis ,,gaylord ,,clark1 including the ,ollapodiana ,papers1 with several other of his ,prose ,writings1 not less esteemed by the public2 including also his ',spirit of ,life1' a choice but comprehensive selection from his ,poetical ,contributions to the ,literature of his ,country2 together with a ,memoir3 to be edited by his twin-brother1 ,,lewis ,,gaylord ,,clark1 ,editor of the ,,knickerbocker ,magazine4 ,the publishers do not consider it necessary for them to enlarge upon the character of the writings which will compose the above volume4 ,the series of papers under the title of ,ollapodiana will be remembered with admiration and pleasure1 by readers in every section of the ,united ,states4 ,their rich variety of subject2 their alternate humor and pathos2 the one natural1 quiet1 and irresistibly laughable2 the other warm from the heart1 and touching in its tenderness and beauty2 won for them the cordial and unanimous praise of the press throughout the ,union1 and frequent laudatory notices from the ,english journals4 ,reminiscences of early days2 expositions of the ,ludicrous and the ,burlesque1 in amusing ,anecdote2 ,limnings from ,nature2 and ',records of the ,heart1' were among their prominent characteristics4 ,it is not too much to say of the other ,prose ,writings which the volume will contain1 that although of a somewhat different character1 they are in no respect inferior to the ,ollapodiana1 in their power to awaken and sustain interest4 ,the ,poetical ,writings of ,mr4 ,,clark are too well known to require comment4 ,they have long been thoroughly established in the national heart1 and have secured for the writer an enviable reputation abroad4' ,the work will be embraced in four numbers1 of ninety-sixpages each1 stereotyped upon new types in the best manner1 and printed upon fine white paper2 and the price will be but twenty-five cents for each number4 ,need we ask the interest of our friends1 of the friends of the ,departed1 in behalf of the volume in question8 ,,the ,,italian ,,opera1 at ,sig4 ,,palmo',s new and beautiful temple in ,chambers-street1 has taken the town captive4 ,i ,puritani was first produced1 and to overflowing houses at each representation4 ,belisario is now running a similar successful career4 ,we shall have occasion in our next to advert more at large to this very popular establishment1 and to notice in detail the artists 7with and without the e7 who compose its prominent attractions4 ,,since the direction given by an afflicted widow to some humane persons who had found the body of her husband in a mill-race1 full of eels1 ',take the eels up to the house1 and set him again6' we have seen nothing more affecting than an anecdote of a widower at ,st4 ,louis1 who1 on seeing the remains of his late wife lowered into the grave1 exclaimed1 with tears in his eyes3 ',well1 ,i've lost sheep1 and ,i've lost cows1 but ,i never had any thing to cut me up like this6' ,as ,,carlyle says1 'his right arm1 and spoon1 and necessary of life' had been taken away1 and he could not choose but weep4 ,,the typographical error to which our ,natchez friend alludes was corrected in some two or three thousand sheets2 hence we dispense with his trifling errata4 ',i remember a clergyman in ,new-,england1' once wrote an accomplished contributor to us1 'that when 'the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew1' carried away in the pulpit in the height of his ardor the wrong house1 and left that standing that was built upon the sand4 ,after the service was over ,i ventured to observe to my uncle1 ,parson ,c----1 7whose assistant had been preaching7 that this seemed to be a new reading to the parable1 and that ,i wondered when ,mr4 ,a---- had discovered his error1 as he did at the time of re-iteration1 that he did not correct it4 ,my uncle defended his curate1 and observed that if he had then corrected himself1 he would have carried away both houses1 which was utterly in opposition to all ,scripture4 ,part of the audience1 said he1 were asleep2 and many of the rest so drowsy that1 so long as one of the houses was taken off1 the moral was enforced upon their perceptions as well by the one as the other4 ,if he had made a thorough correction1 he would have roused the attention of the whole parish1 and nothing else would have been talked of for nine days4 ,when a man has made an error he had better let other people make a discovery2 and this truth1 my lad1 said he1 you will understand better when you grow up4' ,let us conclude with an expression of great force and newness3 ',comment is unnecessary4' ',t4,n4,p4's article1 as he will perceive1 is anticipated by the initial paper in the present number4 ,how does he like the new definition of ,transcendentalism3 ,incomprehensibilityosityivityalityation mentnessism8' ,to us1 it seems 'as clear as mud6' ,,the graceful 'penciller' of the ',new ,mirror' weekly journal copies the beautiful ',lines to a ,cloud' from our ,january number1 with the remark3 ',this ,,bryant-like1 finished and high-thoughted 7'a vile phrase'7 poetry was written by a young lady of seventeen1 and is her first published production4 ,she is the daughter of one of our oldest and best families1 resident on the ,hudson4 ,if the noon be like the promise of the dawn of this pure intellect1 we have here the beginning of a brilliant fame4' ,we think ',the two ,pictures1' from the same pen1 in our ,february issue fully equal to the fair writer's coup-d'essai4 ,by the by1 it would have been but simple courtesy1 as it strikes us1 to have given the ,,knickerbocker ,magazine credit for the lines in question4 ,,numerous articles in prose and verse are on file for insertion1 touching which we shall hope soon to have leisure to advise with the writers by letter4 99 99 99 99 99 ',,america ,,well ,,defended' would not be inappropriate as a true designation of a beautifully printed pamphlet before us1 from the press of ,mr4 ,,benjamin ,h4 ,,greene1 ,boston1 containing a ',letter to a ,lady in ,france on the supposed ,failure of a ,national ,bank1 the supposed ,delinquency of the ,national ,government1 the ,debts of the several ,states1 and ,repudiation3 with ,answers to ,inquiries concerning the ,books of ,capt4 ,,marryat and ,mr4 ,,dickens4' ,we have read this production with warm admiration of its calm and dignified style1 the grouping and invariable pertinence of its facts and arguments2 and the absence of every thing which savors of retaliatory spirit1 in its animadversions upon the misrepresentations of the ,united ,states by the ,english press4 ,expositions are offered of the character of the old ,united ,states' ,bank1 as contradistinguished from the ',united ,states' ,bank of ,pennsylvania2' of the origin and nature of our public debts1 national as well as of the separate ,states1 etc4 ,the themes of love of money1 gravity of manners1 of slavery1 lynch-law1 mobs1 etc41 are next considered2 and the pamphlet concludes with some remarks upon the strength of our government1 general results of our experiment1 and our growing attachment to the ,union4 ,the author we understand to be ,mr4 ,,thomas ,g4 ,,cary1 a distinguished merchant1 who has brought the observation and knowledge of a practical life in aid of his reasoning1 throughout his pamphlet4 ,it has passed1 we are glad to learn1 to a speedy second edition2 and we cannot but hope that it may be re-published in ,england4 ,it could not fail to produce great good1 in the rectification of gross errors in relation to this country4 ,,parley',s ,,cabinet ,,library4--,in this work ,mr4 ,,goodrich proposes to furnish the public with forty numbers1 at twenty-five cents each1 of biographical1 historical and miscellaneous sketches1 designed for the family circle1 and especially for youth4 ,the first two numbers consist of the lives of famous men of modern times2 as ,,scott1 ,,byron1 ,,bonaparte1 ,,burns1 ,,burke1 ,,goethe1 ,,johnson1 ,,milton1 ,,shakspeare1 ,,bacon1 etc4 ,the next two numbers are devoted to famous men of ancient times2 as ,c,,sar1 ,,hannibal1 ,,cicero1 ,,alexander1 ,,plato1 etc4 ,the fifth and sixth numbers contain the ',curiosities of ,human ,nature1' as ,,zera ,,colburn1 ,,caspar ,,hauser1 etc4 ,the seventh and eighth contain the lives of benefactors3 as ,,washington1 ,,franklin1 ,,howard1 ,,fulton1 ,,bowditch1 etc4 ,we notice also1 in the biographical series1 the lives of celebrated ,indians and celebrated women4 ,the historical sketches will present a series of striking pictures1 illustrative of the history of the four quarters of the globe4 ,the miscellaneous department will embrace arts1 sciences1 manners and customs of nations1 a view of the world and its inhabitants1 etc41 etc4 ,the intention of the author is to furnish a library of twenty volumes1 devoted to the most interesting portions of human knowledge1 with the design of rendering their subjects interesting and attractive to the general reader4 ,several of the numbers are now issued2 and judging from these1 we are happy to give the work our hearty approbation4 ,the sketches will not be found to be mere sketches1 drawn from cyclopedias3 the author has evidently gone to the original sources1 and culled with care the most interesting points on each subject4 ,a contemporary expresses surprise that he has been able to say so much that is striking1 just and new1 in so brief a space2 a praise in which we fully concur4 ,the work entitled ',curiosities of ,human ,nature' is one of the deepest interest1 and is calculated to suggest profound reflections as to the capacities of the human mind4 ,the two numbers devoted to the ,american ,indians1 as well as other volumes1 present a good deal of new and curious matter4 ,the life of ,,jetau1 the ,indian ,,voltaire1 is very striking4 ,the ,benefactors will be read with gratification by every one who loves to dwell upon the actions of those who have been great in doing good4 ,the moral tendency of these works is excellent1 and they may be read with pleasure as well as profit by old and young4 ,they are happily adapted to the family as well as the school-library2 and we are glad to know that they have been adopted for the latter purpose in some of our principal cities4 ,they will constitute a wholsome check upon1 as well as an agreeable substitute for1 most of the trashy and pernicious literature that is now so freely poured upon the public4 ,mr4 ,,john ,,allen1 at the office of the ,,knickerbocker1 is the agent for this city4 ',,wonders ,,of ,,the ,,heavens4'--,a superb large quarto volume has recently been put forth by ,messrs4 ,,robert ,p4 ,,bixby ,,and ,,company1 entitled1 ',the ,wonders of the ,heavens3 being a ,popular ,view of ,astronomy1 including a full ,illustration of the ,mechanism of the ,heavens2 embracing the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars1 with descriptions of the planets1 comets1 fixed stars1 double-stars1 the constellations1 the galaxy or milky way1 the zodiacal light1 aurora-borealis or northern-lights1 meteors1 clouds1 falling-stars1 arolites1 etc42 illustrated by numerous maps and engravings4' ,we cannot too highly commend this volume to our readers4 ,the author1 ,mr4 ,,duncan ,,bradford1 has kept constantly in view one object1 viz3 to make his subject plain and interesting to the people4 ,instead of mingling mathematics with his great theme1 to such an extent as to alarm the neophyte at the very threshold of the temple of astronomy1 he has with a wise judgment selected from the best works1 including the latest1 those parts that were least encumbered with the abstruse and the unintelligible2 and the illustrations serve to make his sublime teachings still more clear4 ,,rogers' ,,poems4--,we have not seen a more beautiful volume for a twelvemonth than the new illustrated edition of ',poems by ,,samuel ,,rogers1 with revisions and additions by the author1' recently issued by ,messrs4 ,,lea ,,and ,,blanchard1 ,philadelphia4 ,it is indeed in all respects an exquisite work2 being printed upon the finest drawing-paper1 with a large clear type1 and illustrated with ten engravings on steel1 from paintings by the very first artists in ,england4 ,the volume opens with the ',pleasures of ,memory1' and contains every thing from the author's pen which his maturest consideration has deemed most worthy of preservation4 ,we cordially commend this admirable work to the attention of every reader of the ,,knickerbocker to whom it may be accessible4