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The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 6, December 1843

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Title: The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 6, December 1843

Author: Various


        
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KNICKERBOCKER, VOL. 22, NO. 6, DECEMBER 1843 ***

THE KNICKERBOCKER.

VOL. XXII. DECEMBER, 1843. No. 6.




MIND OR INSTINCT.

AN INQUIRY CONCERNING THE MANIFESTATION OF MIND BY THE LOWER ORDERS OF
ANIMALS.

               'IN some are found
  Such teachable and apprehensive parts,
  That man's attainments in his own concerns,
  Matched with the expertness of the brutes in their's,
  Are ofttimes vanquished and thrown far behind.'

  COWPER.

OF THE REASON OR JUDGMENT OF THE PRINCIPLE CALLED INSTINCT.


A SURGEON of Leeds, (Eng.,) says BUFFON, found a
little spaniel who had been lamed. He carried the poor animal home,
bandaged up his leg, and, after two or three days, turned him out.
The dog returned to the surgeon's house every morning, till the leg
was perfectly well. At the end of several months, the spaniel again
presented himself, in company with another dog, who had also been
lamed; and he intimated, as well as piteous and intelligent looks could
intimate, that he desired the same kind assistance to be rendered to
his friend as had been bestowed upon himself. A similar circumstance is
stated to have occurred to MORANT, a celebrated French surgeon.

A fox, adds the same writer, having entered a hen-house through a small
aperture, which was the only opening, succeeded without disturbing
the family in destroying all the fowls, and in satiating his appetite
with part of them; but his voracity so enlarged his dimensions as to
prevent his egress. In the morning the farmer discovered the havoc of
the night, and the perpetrator himself sprawled out on the floor of the
coop, apparently dead from surfeit. He entered, and taking the creature
by the heels, carried him out and cast him beside the house. This was
no sooner done than the fox sprang up and bounded away with the speed
of a racer. This was communicated by the person.

A spaniel, OBSEND informs us, having discovered a mouse in a
shock of corn, jumped with his fore feet against it to frighten him
out; and then running quickly to the back side, succeeded in taking the
mouse as he attempted to escape.

BUFFON says: 'A number of beavers are employed together at
the foot of the tree in gnawing it down; and when this part of the
labor is accomplished, it becomes the business of others to sever the
branches, while a third party are engaged along the borders of the
river in cutting other trees, which though smaller than the first tree,
are yet as thick as the leg, if not the thigh, of a common-sized man.
These they carry with them by land to the brink of the river, and then
by water to the place allotted for their building; where sharpening
them at one end, and forming them into stakes, they fix them in the
ground, at a small distance from each other, and fill up the vacant
spaces with pliant branches. While some are thus employed in fixing
the stakes, others go in quest of clay, which they prepare for their
purpose with their tails and their feet. At the top of their dyke, or
mole, they form two or three openings. These they occasionally enlarge
or contract, as the river rises or falls. NOTE.--Should the
current be very gentle, the dam is carried nearly straight across;
but when the stream is swiftly flowing, it is uniformly made with a
considerable curve, having the convex part opposed to the current.

  'Ac veluti ingentem formicæ farris acervum
  Cum populant, hyemis memores, tectoque reponunt:
  It nigrum campis agmen, prædamque per herbas
  Convectant calle augusto: pars grandia trudunt
  Obnixæ frumenta humeris: pars agmina cogunt,
  Castigant que moras: opere omnis semita fervet.'

  ÆNEID, IV., 402.

  'In formicâ non modo sensus sed etiam mens, ratio, memoria.'--CIC.

 'Si quis comparet onera corporibus earum (formicarum) fateatur nullis
 portione. Vires esse majores. Gerunt ea morsu; majora aversæ postremio
 pedibus moliuntur, humeris obnoxæ. Est iis Reip ratio memoria cura.
 Semima arrosa condunt vie rursus in fruges exeant e terra. Majora
 ad introitum (cavernæ) dividunt Madefacta imbre proferunt atque
 siccant.'--PLINY: lib. XI., cap. 30.

Many birds and other animals, BUFFON informs us, station a
watch, while they are feeding in the fields. Whenever marmots venture
abroad, one is placed as a sentinel, sitting on an elevated rock,
while the others amuse themselves in the fields below, or are engaged
in cutting grass and making it into hay for their future convenience;
and no sooner does their trusty sentinel perceive a man, an eagle, a
dog, or any other enemy approaching, than he gives notice to the rest
by a kind of whistle, and is himself the last that takes refuge in the
cell. It is asserted that when their hay is made, one of them lies upon
its back, permits the hay to be heaped between its paws, keeping them
upright to make greater room, and in this manner remaining still upon
its back, is dragged by the tail, hay and all, to their common retreat.

These instances could be multiplied indefinitely; but more than
sufficient have been cited. They prove in the first place, without need
of argument, that animals have a language by which they apprehend each
other. Concert of action and division of labor would be impossible
without it. They also exhibit the exercise of memory and abstraction;
and it now remains to ascertain whether their conduct was the result of
reason.

If a person should take a friend whose arm had been fractured to a
skilful surgeon who had before cured him of a similar wound, we should
infer the following course of reasoning: First, a comparison of facts,
to discover whether the injury in question was like the one he had
received; the ability of this surgeon over others in such cases; and
the presumption that the same skill and remedies will again produce
the same effects. These are the most obvious points. The dog, in the
cited case, had once been healed of a broken limb by a surgeon; and
having found a mate in a like situation, took him also to the same
surgeon. It is evident that his conduct was as wise as the man's. The
facts and actions in the two cases are parallel; and having seen that
animals obtain a perception of objects by the same agencies that man
does, it only remains to ascertain whether the intermediate reasoning
process between perception and action were essentially the same. Now,
we cannot prove directly that the mind of another passes through any
process whatever; because the proof of any process of our own mind
is consciousness, which cannot go beyond us; but we can infer the
train of reasoning in a given case with great correctness, taking
self-knowledge as a basis; and the similarity of conduct in another,
in view of premises, with what our own would have been. This is the
chief criterion by which much of our daily conduct is regulated, and
is the most substantial proof that can be reached. Hence, we can infer
with just as much certainty that the instinct of the dog passed through
the process mentioned, as that the mind of the man did in the case
supposed. We can also infer it with as much truth as that instinct is
susceptible of the process of memory, since the proof in both cases is
drawn from facts, and on the same principles.

Again: The beaver's dam is constructed at the very place a skilful
engineer would have selected for a similar purpose. This choice of one
place before another is necessarily founded on comparison, which is
a deliberative reasoning process. It is therefore inconsistent with
an impulse, which seems to be the action suggested, by instantaneous
perception and reasoning; a single, inflexible propulsion in one
direction; without a careful choice, and without deliberation: hence
the term impulsive cannot be applied to a large proportion of the
actions of animals; and having no reason for supposing the impulses of
animals supernatural, or unlike human impulses, the term itself should
be abandoned as vague and unmeaning. Gnawing the large tree upon the
inner side, that it might fall directly across the stream, also rises
above the utmost that we can understand by an inward persuasion; for
it is the incipient step, and has full relation to the subsequent work
of erecting a pier. We have seen that while one part are cutting down
the tree, another part go up the stream, cut smaller trees for stakes,
and draw them to the water's edge; while still a third division go in
quest of clay to prepare as a mortar. This completeness of plan, and
combination of means to execute it, is wholly inconsistent with the
common explanation of instinctive operations. Such exhibitions, as we
have already remarked, are simply the workings of a certain principle
they possess; performing for them the same office that mind does
for man; and the true direction of inquiry is to the nature of its
qualities. The actions themselves exhibit comparison, a knowledge of
the adaptation of means to an end, the combination of these means in
regular detail to effect the end, and the still higher intelligence
of future cause and effect, as evinced by the enlargement of the
water passage with the rise of the stream. These actions, then, being
ascertained to be uniformly the same in a great variety of cases, and
manifesting the operation of an intelligent principle in every act; and
being such as in man would have been in pursuance of the processes of
reason mentioned; we are clearly directed to the inference (indeed no
other rational one _can_ be made) that they compared the advantages of
different places, to enable them to select the best, having reference
to the construction of a dam; that they reasoned out the plan of this
dam and the adaptation of certain materials to its erection; that
they reflected upon the need of its convexity, the better to resist
the pressure of the stream, should it be rapid; that they considered
the advantages of a division of labor to expedite the work; that they
understood from experience, or arrived at the conclusion by reason,
that it was safer to discharge the surplus water at one opening well
guarded, than over the continuous edge of the dam; and finally they
had in view the uses and purpose of this dam from the beginning; and
the reasoning preparatory to each successive step was as exact and
efficient, with reference to the end designed and the means to be
employed, as _man's_ could have been; and was conducted in much, if not
exactly, the same manner; because we can conceive of but one way in
which an intelligent principle thinks.

To learn, we must derive an impression of the object or event by
the senses; and then interpret its meaning by a process of the
understanding. The domestic animals may be taught a variety of
performances, which if done by man we should not hesitate to pronounce
the result of reasoning. Ravens have been taught to sing a regular
piece, involving to a certain extent the same kind of apprehension,
as in instructing a child in music.[A] The parrot may be taught to
speak. Falcons have been learned to hunt, under the influence of
motives; a favorite dish being the reward of skilful services. The
elephant, the camel, and the horse, in adapting themselves to the wants
of man as beasts of burden, give constant proofs of intelligence and
deliberation. Some of the most stupid animals apparently, have been
taught a variety of feats under the stimulus of rewards, which raise
our astonishment at their shrewdness and ingenuity. Imitation, if
carefully considered, will be found impossible without the aid of a
thinking principle. We know, indeed, very little of any species but
our own. Their language is as vague to us as the guttural tongue of
the Indian; their movements are usually unmeaning, and all but their
general necessities, unknown; we are profoundly ignorant of every
thing but the most general manifestations of animal life; and at the
same time it must be admitted that they exhibit more intelligence in
adapting themselves to, and understanding us, than we do in suiting our
conduct to their apprehension.

[Footnote A: SOME animals are self-taught. The mocking-bird
whistles for the dog; Cæsar starts up and runs to meet his master. He
squeaks out like a hurt chicken, and the hen hurries about with hanging
wings and bristling feathers, clucking to protect her injured brood.
The barking of the dog, the mewing of the cat, the creaking of the
passing wheel-barrow, follow with great truth and rapidity. He repeats
the tune taught him by his master, though of considerable length, fully
and faithfully. He runs over the quiverings of the Canary and the
clear whistlings of the Virginia nightingale, or red-bird, with such
superior execution and effect, that the mortified songsters feel their
own inferiority, and become silent, while he seems to triumph in their
defeat by redoubling his exertions.--WILSON.]

Many animals provide magazines, on which to subsist during the winter.
This appears to be the result of a long process of reasoning; of which
the impossibility of obtaining supplies during such period, the amount
necessary, the manner of bestowing it, and the kind of provision which
is not perishable, may be the most obvious. If all these points were
not heeded, the consequence would be fatal. To satisfy present hunger,
a simple impulse might be sufficient; but to anticipate distant wants,
the exercise of an intelligent principle is requisite. The ant, the
bee, the squirrel, the rat, and the beaver, are distinguished instances
of this forethought.

If the argument of PALEY is sound, that contrivance forms
design, and from design we infer intelligence, it applies with emphasis
to all constructed animal habitations. The nests of birds, the cells
of the bee, the spider's web, the mound of the ant, and the hills of
the termites, may be cited. Contrivance and construction seem to be
impossible without the constant exercise of a reflecting principle;
while economy of labor and time indicates the correctness with which
this principle directs the conduct.

Again: If the sentinel of a small party should discover an enemy
approaching, he would know, should they reach the encampment, that his
companions would be captured; but if he apprized them of the peril,
they might escape. This is simply ascertaining the relation of cause
and effect; on such conclusions he alarms his mates, and they retreat.
We know that many animals not only act the same in view of similar
premises, but deliberately prepare for the emergency, like a garrison,
by placing sentinels on the watch: now, since their actions are
uniformly the same in a great variety of cases, and exactly analogous
to the actions of men under similar motives, the same inference
results; that such actions in both cases were caused by a reflecting or
reasoning principle; and that this principle must perform its functions
in nearly if not exactly the same manner, in men and in different
animals, to produce such similar conduct. As instances, parrots, jays,
crows, ants, marmots, and the chamois, may be referred to.

The ancients attributed intelligence, in its purest sense, to many
animals, especially to the elephant and the horse. In one of the
passages quoted, PLINY, the naturalist, after describing
the ingenious method of the ants, in 'shoving with their shoulders'
the larger bits of grain, says: 'There is in them in every deed,
reason, memory, and care;' the expression breaks out from him like
an irresistible conviction. VIRGIL also observes that they
are 'mindful of the approaching winter;' and he refers to their
order, and division of labor. If inquiry should be directed to that
industry which accumulates not only beyond present, but even future
necessities, it could be accounted for on no other supposition, than as
a consequence of reasoning upon the necessity of preparing for the day
of need.

Let us turn for a moment to the fables of ÆSOP. It is
remarkable that these first attempts at moral philosophy should have
come down to us with such freshness as to be almost without the marks
of antiquity; and yet one of their most interesting features is the
correctness, so far as we know, with which animals have been invested
with their natural characteristics. We still ask

  'Astuta ingenuum vulpes imitata leonem?'

and are yet inclined to charge the raven with vanity for being cheated
of her meat, as represented in the fable, by the flattery of the fox.
We also admire the closing reproof: [Greek: Echeis korax apanta, nous
de ge leipei]. The artifice of the creature, from his well-known
habits, sits upon him with peculiar fitness; and there is nothing
very incongruous in allowing him to speak it out. This incites an
inquiry into the nature of cunning and artifice, by which animals
evade their enemies or take their prey. The fox, for example, obtains
a knowledge of external things by the same agencies that man does; and
makes a ready and skilful use of such perceptions to obtain some end.
When pursued, he frequently runs in the bed of some shallow creek,
to conceal every trace of his scent and footsteps; or runs back upon
his own track for some distance, and then branches off, to puzzle his
pursuers. He evidently knows the means by which he is followed, namely,
his scent or foot-prints, and he devises a plan to render them both
useless. Much might be said of the artifices of different animals, to
decoy and ensnare their prey. Without the aid of reason it would be
utterly impossible to form such plans; and beside, from these very
stratagems we infer intelligence, and intelligence is of course an
intellectual emanation.

Much also might be said of the elephant: indeed, his history alone
would furnish sufficient facts to elucidate the whole subject; but the
unexpected length of this article prevents the insertion of only a few
notices. It is said that if he has been ensnared and escapes, he is
afterward very cautious while in the woods, and breaking a large branch
from a tree with his trunk, he sounds the ground before he treads upon
it, to discover if there are any pits in his passage.[A] He exhibits
the same kind of deliberation while passing a bridge. The Indians make
use of him to carry artillery over mountains. When the oxen, yoked two
and two, endeavor to draw up the mountain the piece of artillery, the
elephant pushes the breech of the gun with his forehead; and at every
effort that he makes he supports the carriage with his knee, which he
places near the wheel.[B] An analysis of these operations would result
in the same inference, that such actions were in consequence of reason.

[Footnote A: BUFF. II., 188.]

[Footnote B: Ibid. II., 185.]

An anecdote of a bird appeared a few months since, bearing the marks
of authenticity. She had built her nest by a stone quarry, and during
incubation was frequently alarmed by the blasting. She soon learned
that the ringing of a bell preceded an explosion, and like the
laborers, at this signal she retreated to a place of security. This
feat having been discovered, some spectators succeeded in deceiving
her a number of times by false alarms. The imposition however was soon
detected; and she did not afterward fly at the sound of the bell,
unless the workmen also retired. If this incident be true, (and there
is nothing improbable in it,) reasoning, and that too of no obtuse
character, is as legibly stamped upon this conduct, as if the brain had
been uncovered, and we had seen, were it possible, with our own eyes
its secret work.

Let us proceed with this inquiry to another point. It is a
well-established principle of philosophy, that all pain and pleasure
are in the mind, including of course the emotions and passions. We know
that animals experience not only physical pleasures and pains, but
passions both pleasant and painful; as attachment, courage, fidelity;
anger, cowardice, and jealousy. Their manifestation of these pleasant
and painful feelings is analogous to the manifestation of the same
feelings by the human species; and it proves that they are endowed with
a principle corresponding to mind, which we have seen is susceptible,
like mind, of such feelings.

Some of the endowments of animals are delicate, even beyond our
comprehension. The bee, for instance, is never caught in a shower; but
by what agencies it arrives at the knowledge of an approaching storm,
we are unable to determine; and therefore we call it pure instinct,
leaving the subject as blind as we found it. The solution, however,
of this question, will probably be found in the superior acuteness
of its senses. We are generally sensible ourselves of a coming rain,
by a change in the atmosphere; then, on the supposition that the bee
has the sense of touch to a very delicate degree, the apparent enigma
will be unravelled. We know also that our own senses convey to us
imperfect knowledge, and that our minds serve to correct and supply
their deficiencies: on the other hand, animals having reasoning powers
of an inferior degree, a superior delicacy of the senses supplies to
some extent the difference. They undoubtedly possess a knowledge of
lesser things beyond the utmost reach of human intellect; while man
possesses knowledge of a higher character, and as far above their
comprehension; leaving degrees of intelligence above us, and below
them, equally remote from each; for there are yet as many subjects of
knowledge in the infinitely small as in the infinitely great. Nature
retains her perfection, whether we descend to the atom or ascend to the
universe; and the analogies of nature go to prove that the animalcule
whose dimensions are below the power of the microscope, has as perfect
an organization, and lives as completely, as man.

Animals seem to be as amply endowed with capacities by the Creator, for
their sphere of existence, as man appears to be for his; and the Deity
as evidently designed their happiness, as man's. He has framed them
after the same great outline, and with no greater difference in this
respect than is consistent with difference of species. He has endued
them with senses, and a principle to take knowledge of the impressions
they were designed to convey; and He has placed the means of happiness
within their reach, as well as given the power to reach them. This much
is self-evident. As to the proof that the principle commonly known as
instinct manifests memory and reason, the arguments employed may be
obscure; but the facts themselves, on reflection, carry conviction to
the mind. To account for these manifestations on any other hypothesis,
would be impossible; and to draw any other inference from the facts
would be equally impossible; and to pronounce all these phenomena the
workings of instinct, a name without a tangible meaning; a designation
that prohibits inquiry, because it pretends to furnish an explanation
of itself; would be to rest for ever in profound ignorance of the whole
subject, when truth might be reached by investigation.

All the intellectual manifestations of mind are treated under four
general divisions. One of them is memory; and all we know of it is,
simply that there is a principle within us that remembers. Animals
likewise have a principle that remembers. If then this principle is a
unit in man, and (by parity of reason) in animals, why does not the
proof of this one quality carry the whole subject? Can it be asserted
that any other principle remembers than the one that reasons? Can any
distinction be taken between the dog's remembrance of his master on
his return, and the remembrance of the wife? One is as absolute as
the other. It is no matter how feeble the endowments of a man may be,
he still possesses mind; its memory may be weak, and its reasoning
power be confined to the most simple processes; but yet the principle
is within him, and as no radical distinction can be made between the
memory of the feeble and the powerful intellect, so none can be made
between the memory of an animal and of a man.

That principle which remembers, abstracts, imagines, and reasons, is
_Mind_.

The principle called _Instinct_ remembers, abstracts, imagines, and
reasons. Therefore, this principle is Mind.

The general deduction follows, that the same thinking intellectual
principle pervades all animated existences; created by the
DEITY, and bestowed in such measures upon the different
species as appeared in His wisdom requisite for the destiny and
happiness of each; thus establishing a scale from man to the lowest
orders of animalculæ; and the successive steps downward from the
man of the highest intellectual range to the man of the lowest, are
no farther than from the latter to the most intelligent animal; and
from him successively to the lowest in the scale of intelligence. All
endued with that wonderful principle, which in man, rising above the
office of providing for physical wants, expends its powers on the
highest subjects of knowledge, though the final cause of this knowledge
is the benefit of himself or his species, while in animals, being
more limited in its range, but perhaps more delicate in some of its
powers, it may be employed, for aught we know, on important subjects
of knowledge, tending to promote their own happiness, of a character
so minute and intricate as to be beyond the utmost appreciation of the
human mind; but yet as essential to their welfare as the most common
principles of philosophy are essential to ours.

There is nothing unnatural in this theory; so far from it, it appears
to be suggested by nature itself. We all have a living existence, and
that existence to sustain and enjoy. The history of animals and men
exhibits so many characteristics in common, and those more powerful
characteristics which we have discovered only in men, merely serving
to establish endowments stronger in degree, without warranting a
fundamental distinction, a scale of intelligence from man to the
most inferior animal, appears to result as naturally as a scale of
intelligence among men, founded on their different characteristics. It
may be said, perhaps, that some of these facts and arguments can be
employed as well to prove a moral as an intellectual nature. Admitting
this for a moment, it is by no means certain that they have not to some
extent a moral sense; although our inquiry has no reference to this
branch of the subject. Their endowments, like those of the tribes of
Africa, neither improve nor degenerate materially; and who is prepared
to say that a Goth or a Hun exhibited a nicer sense of right and wrong
than a tiger or an elephant does? We know nothing concerning their
secret relations. The order and harmony of the bee-hive, the ant-hill,
the families of beavers, and flocks of birds; the apparent recognition
by some animals of the right of property; will perhaps ever remain an
enigma. Animals, on the other hand, of the same species, oppress each
other no more than man does his fellow-man; and those of different
species cannot act with greater ferocity toward each other, than they
can find an example for in human conduct. We tread upon them without
concern, and hunt them down for mere amusement. We prepare them for
slaughter with a degree of indifference to their sufferings and death
that is shocking in the last extreme. Let us not boast too much of our
moral qualities, although the Deity did design that we should subsist
in part upon flesh; although we have the marks of this design upon
us, the same as the bear and the wolf, and have the sanction of the
Scriptures; for although the final cause of this is wise, it is no
excuse for cruelty; and probably an enlightened moral sense would teach
us to abstain entirely from animal food, if we can live without it. We
can no more say that animals were made for our convenience exclusively,
than that the hare was made for the lion, or that the Deity would wish
man should uproot every other species, than that the tiger should.
The simple truth is, we are all alike creatures of the Deity, and
subjects of His will. He designed all existence; He bestowed it; and
His beneficent protection is extended alike over all His works; from
man, the noblest of His creation, to the young ravens, whose cry He has
admonished us He deigns to hear.

  AQUARIUS.

  _October, 1843._




BYZANTIUM.


  ROLL on thou Bosphorus, in wrath or play,
  Roused by the storm, or gilded by the ray;
  With thy blue billows to the boundless sea
  Roll on, like Time unto Eternity.
  Thy empire nought shall change; upon thy breast
  Guilt hath no record, tyranny no rest;
  Roll on: the rock-built city shall decay,
  Man sleep in death, and kingdoms pass away,
  But thou, unbowed, shalt steal like music by,
  Or lift thy Titan strength, and dare the sky.

  Alas for proud Byzantium! on _her_ head
  The fire may smoulder and the foe may tread,
  Yet with heroic look and lovely form
  She mocks the deep, unconscious of the storm;
  Her footstool is the shore, which hears the moan
  Of dying waves; the mountain is her throne;
  Her princely minarets, whose spires on high
  Gleam with their crescents in the cloudless sky;
  Her temples, bathed in all the pomp of day;
  Her domes, that backward flash the living ray;
  Her cool kiosks, round which, from granite white,
  High sparkling fountains catch a rainbow light;
  And the dark cypress, sombre and o'ercast,
  Which hints cold sleep, the longest and the last;
  Each scene around this haughty city throws
  A mingled charm of action and repose;
  Each feature speaks of glory wrapt in gloom,
  The feast, the shroud, the palace, and the tomb.

  Yes, thou art fair; but still my soul surveys
  A vision of delight, and still I gaze,
  Proud city, on the past; when first the beam
  Slept on thy temples in its mid-day dream,
  Methinks the genius of thy father-land
  Raised his gray head and clenched his withered hand,
  Exulting, in a parent's pride, to see
  Old Rome, _without her gods_, revived in thee.
  Beautiful Queen! unlike thy high compeers,
  Thou wast not cradled in the lap of years;
  But, like celestial Pallas, hymned of old,
  Thy sovereign form, inviolate and bold,
  Sprung to the perfect zenith of its prime,
  And took no favor from the hands of Time.

  There every glorious gift of every zone
  Was flung before thee on thy virgin throne:
  No breeze could blow but unto thee some slave,
  Some handmaid ship, came riding o'er the wave;
  The costly treasures of thy marble isle,
  The spice of Ind, the riches of the Nile,
  The stores of earth, like streams that seek the sea,
  Poured out the tribute of their wealth for thee.
  Oh! proud was thy dominion; states and kings
  Slept 'neath the shadow of thine outstretched wings;
  And to the moral eye, how more than fair
  Were thy peculiar charms, which boasted there
  No proud pantheon flaming in the sun,
  To claim for many gods that due to One;
  No scene of tranquil grove and babbling stream,
  Of vain philosophy to boast and dream,
  Till Reason shows a maze without a clue,
  And Truth seems false, and Falsehood's self seems true.
  Oh, no! upon thy temples, gladly bright,
  The truth revealed shed down its living light;
  Thine was no champion-badge of pagan shame,
  But that best gift, the Cross of HIM who came
  To lift the guilty spirit from the sod,
  To point from earth to heaven, from man to GOD.

  Alas! that peace so gentle, hope so fair,
  Should wake but strife, should herald but despair;
  Oh, thine, Byzantium, thine were bitter tears,
  A couch of fever and a throne of fears;
  When passion drugged the bowl and grasped the steel,
  When murder followed in the track of zeal;
  When that religion, born to guide and bless,
  Itself became perverse and merciless:
  While factions of the circus and the shrine,
  And lords like slaves and slaves like lords, were thine.
  What boots the well-known tale so often told?
  The feuds that found them frantic left them cold;
  The crimes that made them wicked made them weak,
  And bloodless might the Arab spread, and wreak
  His wasting vengeance; while the soldier slept
  The spoiler plundered and the province wept:
  Thus did thine empire sink in slow decay,
  Thus were its lordly branches lopt away;
  And thou, exposed and stript, wast left instead
  To bear the lightning on thy naked head.

  Yet wert thou noble still; in vain, in vain
  The Vandal strove--he could not break his chain;
  The bold Bulgarian cursed thee as he bled,
  The Persian trembled, and the pirate fled;
  Twice did the baffled Arab onward press
  To drink thy tears of danger and distress;
  Twice did the fiery Frank usurp thy halls,
  And twice the Grecian drove him from thy walls:
  And when at last up sprung thy Tartar foe,
  With fire and sword more dread than Dandolo,
  Vain was the task; the triumph was not won
  Till fraud achieved what treason had begun;
  Till blood made red thy ramparts and thy waves,
  And one man's glory left ten thousand graves.

  But in that fierce distress, and at thy cry,
  Did none defend thee, and did none reply?
  No! kings were deaf, and pontiffs, in their pride,
  Like Levites gazed, and like them turned aside;
  While infidels within Sophia's shrine
  Profaned the cup that held the sacred wine;
  And, worse than the idolaters of old,
  Proclaimed that prophet chief, whose books unfold
  The deadliest faith that ever framed a spell
  To make of heaven an earth, of earth a hell.

  Yet stood there one erect in might and mind,
  Before him groaned Despair, and Death behind;
  Oh thou last Cæsar, greater midst thy tears
  Than all thy laureled and renowned compeers,
  I see thee yet, I see thee kneeling where
  The patriarch lifts the cup and breathes the prayer;
  Now in the tempest of the battle's strife,
  Where trumpets drown the shrieks of parting life,
  Now with a thousand wounds upon thy breast
  I see thee pillow thy calm head in rest;
  And, like a glory-circled martyr, claim
  The wings of death to speed thy soul from shame.
  But thou, fair city! to the Turk bowed down,
  Didst lose the brightest jewels of thy crown:
  They could not spoil thee of thy skies, thy sea,
  Thy mountain belts of strength and majesty;
  But the bright cross, the volumes rescued long,
  Sunk 'neath the feet of that barbarian throng;
  While rose the gorgeous Haram in its sin,
  So fair without, so deadly foul within:
  That sepulchre in all except repose,
  Where woman strikes the lute and plucks the rose,
  Strives to be gay but feels, despite the will,
  The heart, the heart is true to nature still.
  Yet, for a season, did the Moslem's hand
  Win for thy state an aspect of command;
  Let Syria, Egypt tell, let Persia's shame,
  Let haughty Barbarossa's deathless name,
  Let Buda speak, let Rhodes, whose knighted brave
  Were weak to serve her, impotent to save:
  Zeal in the rear and valor in the van
  Spread far the fiats of thy sage divan,
  Till stretched the sceptre of thy sway, awhile
  Victorious, from the Dnieper to the Nile.

  Brief, transitory glory, foul the day,
  Foul thy dishonor, when in Corinth's bay,
  'Neath the rich sun triumphant Venice spread
  Her lion banner as the Moslem fled;
  When proud Vienna's sallying troops were seen,
  When Zeuta's laurels decked the brave Eugene;
  When the great shepherd led the Persian van,
  And Cyrus lived again in KOULI KHAN;
  And last and worst, when Freedom spurned the yoke,
  And tyrants trembled as the GREEK awoke!

  Now joy to Greece! the genius of her clime
  Shall cast its gauntlet at the tyrant Time.
  And wake again the valor and the fire
  Which rears the trophy or attunes the lyre.
  Oh known how early, and beloved how long,
  The sea-girt shrines of battle and of song,
  The clustering isles that by the Ocean prest,
  In sunshine slumber on his dark blue breast:
  Land of the brave, athwart whose ghastly night
  Streams the bright dawn, red harbinger of light,
  May Glory now efface each blot of shame,
  May Freedom's torch yet light the path to fame;
  May Christian truth in this, thy second birth,
  Add strength to empire, give to wisdom worth,
  And with the rich-fraught hopes of coming years
  Inspire thy triumphs while it dries thy tears!

  Yes, joy to Greece! but even a brighter star
  On Hope's horizon sheds its light afar:
  Oh Stamboul! thou who once didst clasp the sign,
  What if again Sophia's holy shrine
  Should, deaf to creeds of sensual joy and strife,
  Reëcho to the words whose gift is life;
  If down those isles the billowy music's swell
  Should pour the song of Judah, and should tell
  Of sinners met in penitence to kneel,
  And bless the comfort they have learned to feel;
  Then though thy fortune or thy fame decline,
  Then oh! how _more_ than victory were thine!

  Ah! dear RELIGION, born of HIM who smiled
  And prayed for pardon when the Jew reviled,
  No rose-bound Houris with a song of glee
  Strew the rich couch, no tyrant strikes for thee;
  Thy holier altar feeds its silent fire
  With love, not hate--with reason, not desire;
  Welcome in weal or woe, thy sovereign might
  Can temper sorrow or enrich delight;
  Prepared to gild with hope our darkest hours,
  Or crown the brimming cup of joy with flowers;
  Thine is the peace-branch, thine the pure command
  Which joins mankind like brothers hand in hand;
  And oh! 'tis thine to purge each worldly stain,
  Wrench the loose links which bind this mortal chain,
  Whisper of realms untravelled, paths untrod,
  And lead, like Jacob's ladder, up to GOD!

  WILLIAM C. S. BLAIR.




NEMAH AND NUMAN.

TRANSLATED FROM THE TURKISH OF SOHAILY, BY J. P. BROWN, CONSTANTINOPLE.


IN the time of the Sovereigns of the Beni Ommieh, there
resided in the city of Cufah a very wealthy merchant named REBI
BIN JABIR; a man possessed of great good feelings and kindness
of disposition. This merchant had a son of equally good qualities,
in whom, as the close of his life drew near, all his hopes became
centered. He named this his only child Numan; paid great attention to
his education; taught him to read and write; and, in fine, instructed
him in all the accomplishments of that period.

Rebi bin Jabir purchased a young white female slave, of angelic beauty,
named NEMAH BINTI TEVFIK, whom he had elevated in a manner
which should render her worthy to become his son's companion. This
_Riski Hoor_, or object of the jealousy of the Houries of Paradise, was
a sweet, tender maiden, such as the eye of the world had never seen,
nor of whom the ear of the son of Adam ever heard. They grew up and
were instructed together; and ere they had reached the age of puberty,
these two young creatures, like the sun and moon for pure brilliancy
and light, were unique for their knowledge and accomplishments;
particularly the talent of music and song. In the garden of Beauty they
were like two cypresses.

Their wealthy parent had erected for them a dwelling like those of the
garden of Paradise, which he had beautifully painted and furnished, and
where his son and the cypress-formed Nemah were wont to spend their
evenings in pleasure and enjoyment. One night when he was disposed to
make merry with his mistress, Nemah took an _Oad_, or Lute in her hand,
and with a countenance blooming with youthful freshness and innocent
modesty, sang a harmonious air.

While thus engaged, by chance, the governor of the city of Cufah, the
cause of much sorrow, Hedjadj ez Zalim, or The Cruel, passed beneath
their dwelling, and hearing the melodious sound of Nemah's voice,
involuntarily sighed; and after listening for sometime, turned to his
attendants and praised the talent of the singer. 'If,' said he, 'this
slave's face and form are equal to the delicacy of her voice, I will
give any price for her--for a jewel of such great value. Go, learn
to whom she belongs; for I desire to send her as a present to the
caliph.' So, calling the chief officer of his police, he confided the
affair to that master of intrigue, recommending him to be diligent and
expeditious.

This man, early on the following morning, called to his aid a cunning
old woman, and said to her: 'Help, oh! mother of praise-worthy
conduct! Hedjadj ez Zalim has need of your services. You must inform me
to whom a girl in such a dwelling belongs; how I shall be able to get
possession of her; and what arrangements I must make to bring it about.'

The infamous old woman replied: 'On my head and eyes be it, if the
object of your desires be among the Pleiads, on the surface, or under
the earth, be it my duty to find her! So consider her as already in
your possession.'

The officer conducted the old wretch to Hedjadj the Cruel, and on
introducing her, Hedjadj said: 'Go to the house of Numan, son of
Rebieh, and if you find that his slave is worthy of presentation to the
caliph, obtain her in whatever manner you may like best, only render
yourself worthy of my generosity.'

Now the old woman attired herself in the dress of a sofee, or religious
devotee, of an hundred years old; and taking an ebony rod in her hand,
wrapped a shawl around her head, and, bent almost double, set out
on her way, crying out aloud as she passed along: 'There is no God
but ALLAH! oh! these inattentive people!' Deceived by her
appearance, the simple-minded who met her on the way, embraced her
hands and feet, and implored her blessing and prayers.

At noon, precisely, she reached Numan's dwelling; and on wishing to
pass its gate was prevented by the door-keepers. The old hypocrite said
to them: 'I am a servant of GOD, who, having deserted the
world, have no other desire than to acquire knowledge, and offer up
prayers of devotion; why do you prevent my passage?'

While they were yet engaged discussing her entrance, a servant from
within made his appearance, and the old woman, addressing him, said:
'Wherever I bend my steps they bring good fortune; and, as every one
profits by my prayers, these door-keepers are very foolish to prevent
my entrance.'

The simple-minded servant directed the door-keepers not to prevent her;
and taking the old wretch by the hand, led her to Nemah, and asked her
blessing. Nemah also was soon deceived by her appearance, and beside
offering her every mark of respect, invited her to be seated by her
side.

Scarcely were they seated, when she exclaimed: 'Let prayer-time be not
forgotten; show me a retired spot where I may offer my devotions.'
Nemah, like a waving cypress, hastened to serve her; spread her a
carpet with her own hands, and ordered her attendants not to disturb
her. The old hypocrite prolonged her prayers from noon to _akendee_,
(three o'clock,) and the three o'clock prayer to that of night-fall,
without ever rising from her carpet; and by her false piety gained not
only Nemah's heart, but those of all her maidens; so that they all
knelt around her feet, and besought her blessing. Every night she would
tell Nemah's maidens stories about pious people, and of the efficacy of
their prayers.

Early one morning she arose, and asked permission to depart; and when
Numah inquired where she purposed going, she replied, that it was her
desire to visit some holy persons who resided in that neighborhood.
In fine, she so praised them, that Nemah begged her not to refuse her
the privilege of accompanying her, to beg also the blessing of the
good people. The old woman answered: 'If the recompense of your visit
is written on your brow (predestined), it will be easy to obtain.
Inshallah! if GOD wills, we will obtain the object of your
desires.'

The unfortunate girl put faith in her words; and after adjusting her
dress, they set out on their way. Soon they reached a doorway, that of
the palace of Hedjadj ez Zalim, which they entered; and putting Nemah
in a vestibule, 'Stay here,' said she, 'while I go to see if the holy
man is alone.' So going into the palace, she hastened to give Hedjadj
news of her success; and then the accursed creature departed by another
door. Hedjadj soon came to the vestibule, and for the first time
beholding the beautiful creature, saw a fair maiden resplendent as the
moon in her fourteenth night, and illuminating the whole universe with
her splendor:

  A maiden unequalled for beauty.
  The world a slave to her ringlet.
  A fresh rose from the garden of fidelity,
  And a thousand Philomels are her lovers.

Forthwith he ordered one of his officers to take a sufficient number of
men for a guard, and convey the maiden to the residence of the caliph.
The officer immediately got ready a litter, and compelling the wretched
maiden to enter it, set out for Damascus. Poor Nemah now knew something
of the cruel misfortune to which she had become a prey; her suffering
and wounded heart (liver) became roasted, and her eyes wept tears of
blood, on being thus separated from her lover, country, and home.

In thirty or forty days, they reached Damascus, and entering the
palace of the caliph, the officer delivered the letter and maiden from
Hedjadj, governor of Cufah. When Abdul Malek (the reigning caliph)
saw the lovely, heart-ravishing maiden, he acknowledged her to be a
perfect beauty, whom the painter of creation had drawn on the page of
existence; such as the eye of observation had never seen, nor of which
the ear of the imagination had never heard:

  Well made, graceful, delicate, and fresh.
  Every member full of grace and splendor.
  Her lips more translucent than limpid water.
  The stars envious of her pearly teeth:
  Her moles are most beauteous to the eye;
  Rose-buds open when she smiles, and
  Jewels are scattered when she speaks.

Involuntarily the caliph became lost in love with the beautiful
creature; passion reached even the centre of his heart; and the thread
of power over himself escaped from his hands. Calling his chief eunuch,
he ordered him to prepare apartments for her worthy of her beauty; to
treat her with kindness, and to be attentive to all her wants.

The caliph Abdul Malek had a sister named Abbassah, a lady of very
superior beauty, whom, in his mirth, he addressed, saying: 'Hedjadj has
done us a service, which, had he sent me news that he had conquered a
province for me, would not have given me greater pleasure. His present
is truly worthy of my acceptance.' Abbassah answered her brother: 'May
your pleasure be everlasting! Pray what kind of a present has he sent
you?' The caliph handed her Hedjadj's letter, wherein she learned
that he had purchased for twelve thousand pieces of gold a maiden
of exquisite beauty, and offered her for her brother's acceptance.
Abbassah asked permission to go and see the maiden, and gain her
good-will and friendship; and, on beholding Nemah, she exclaimed that
she was indeed an angel in a human form:

  With so much beauty, are you a moon from the skies,
  A new species of unknown humanity?
  Truly, you merit the gift of hearts.
  One look alone at your fair face
  Is worth twelve thousand pieces of gold;
  And oh! how great is my brother's good fortune!

Now Abbassah's beauty was celebrated all over Syria, but when she
became companion to the mirror of Nemah's beauty, the moon appeared
eclipsed. This lady of ladies inquired for her health, and complimented
her on this great good fortune, which had brought her to be the
companion of so grand a sovereign as her brother. But poor Nemah only
returned her kindness with a sigh, and addressing her, asked:

'Oh, fair of front! whose sweet words touch my heart, and whose
ringlets adorn an angel's face, pray tell me, your hand-maiden, who
sold me, for whom I was taken, to whom does this mansion belong, and
what is the cause of my affliction?'

Abbassah was greatly astonished at these inquiries, and asked what
they meant. 'Do you not know who sold you?--that it was Hedjadj ez
Zalim, governor of Cufah, who bought you for twelve thousand pieces of
gold, and presented you to the caliph?--that this is the palace of the
caliph?--and that I am his sister?'

When poor Nemah heard this, she burst into tears, and wept so profusely
as to wound the soul and liver of Abbassah:

  The fountain of her tears overflowed;
  Her liver was like unto tulips,
  And her tears fell like morning dew.

Abbassah now perceived there must be some secret connected with Nemah;
so, after endeavoring to console her, she arose and went to the caliph,
and addressed him, saying:

'Oh! Emir of the Faithful! give the newly-arrived maiden a few days'
repose, and allow her time to become acquainted with her new home and
companions. She is unhappy, and requires to be left to herself awhile.'

The sensible heart of the caliph was touched by the words of his
sister, and he requested her to have a physician sought for, and
consulted on the maiden's health. To this Abbassah replied: 'On my head
and eyes be it;' and while she searches for a physician, let us return
to the unhappy Numan.

Now when Numan had the misfortune to be separated from his mistress,
and his beloved companion no more returned to his dwelling, his heart
burnt and his eyes wept, and he bewailed her absence. His father also
was much aggrieved at the loss of his son's idol. Soon the rose-cheeks
of poor Numan faded like autumn leaves, and the alarmed parent sought
advice of a physician. If divine wisdom guides the humble servant, the
desire of the afflicted will be effected, and the object of his hopes
be attained.

While the afflicted father, Rebi bin Jaber, was seated in his dwelling,
overwhelmed with sorrow, suddenly a voice reached his ear, saying:

'Let him who needs an expert physician, and an able astrologer, one
versed in the science of geomancy and the other hidden knowledges,
appear.'

This was a man who, according to the custom of the country, proclaimed
his calling in the public way. Rebi at once ordered his servants to
bring the man in, and after showing him every attention, he requested
of him a remedy for his son. When the learned man had felt Numan's
pulse, he knew that no remedy was needed, and informed the parent that
his son had not one atom of disease; but, added he, 'I perceive he is
feverish from the passion of Love.'

Rebi now related to him the whole circumstance of his son's affliction,
adding: 'Tell me, is his mistress dead or alive?--on this earth, or
in heaven?--what is her condition?--to whose border has she become a
prisoner?--and is there any means of freeing her?'

Now the physician was a perfect master of the science of geomancy; so
taking his sand in his hand, he scattered and divided it; then observed
its meaning; twice bent his head, and finally was confident that Nemah
was in Damascus. 'Good news!' exclaimed the old man to Rebi; 'the end
of this trial is lucky, though indeed the sand turns heavily. After
your maiden left you, she did not pass the night in the city.'

'Since you know that she is in Damascus, pray,' said Rebi, 'throw the
sand once more, so that we may know in whose house she is, and who
holds her in confinement.'

The physician did as he was requested, threw another and yet another
time his sand; and on examining it, added, smiling: 'Good news! good
news to you! your maiden has been sent by the governor of this country
to Damascus, where she now is in the palace of the caliph. With
GOD's permission we will yet unloose this knot.'

Rebi, now greatly rejoiced, gave the physician large and costly
presents; and, in case of success, promised him all he possessed in
the world. 'Provide what is necessary for the voyage,' replied the
physician, 'and let us set out direct for Damascus, where we will see
what GOD will show us.'

Soon the essentials were got ready, and they departed; and in the
course of a few days reached that city, where in its very centre they
opened a shop, stocking it with liquids and drugs in Keshan vases. For
some days they treated all who visited them for their complaints, and
so successfully cured them, that their name soon became celebrated
throughout the whole city. Poor Numan, in the hope of finding a remedy
for his grief, sat all day long, opposite the physician, quiet and
submissive as a burning night-candle.

At length a female slave in the caliph's palace having heard of the
cures performed by the physician, informed Abbassah that a person had
arrived at Damascus from Irak, who had remedies for all manner of
diseases. The caliph's sister was overjoyed at this news. 'Let us send
and represent to this physician poor Nemah's condition; perhaps he may
benefit her also.' So one of the slaves of the Harem, named Kahermaneh,
was sent to his shop, and addressing the physician, said: 'I am a
servant of the Harem of the caliph, and have come to inform you that
his favorite maiden is ill; if you are so fortunate as to find a remedy
for her, great will be your recompense.' After questioning Kahermaneh,
he remarked, that the maiden had no natural disease; 'tell me,' added
he, 'her name.'

'Strange!' replied Kahermaneh, 'do you treat the sick, or purchase
slaves, that you ask her name?'

'Pardon me,' he answered; 'I asked the sick person's name so as to
count the letters which compose it, then write some appropriate holy
names on her star, and see what kind of remedies are necessary.'

On hearing this, the slave exclaimed: 'May GOD bless you; your
talent has been proven on every science;' and so gave him the name of
Nemah, adding, that her father was called Tevfik; at which he said
'GOD's Tevfik (assistance) will aid us.'

When poor Numan heard the name of the object of all his desires, bloody
tears fell from his eyes, and he uttered an 'Ah!' full of plaintive
sorrow. The physician told him in his own language, [Arabic];
'Divulge not, but be silent; rise, and hand me that vase of medicine;'
which Numan obeying, he wrapped up in paper a piece of _mâjuu_
(electuary), and pouring a liquid from another vase into a bottle,
told him to tie up its mouth with paper, and in his own usual style,
to write on it that the patient should every morning mix some of the
liquid with water and drink it. This Numan having done, he delivered
the medicines to Kahermaneh.

Now when Nemah saw the hand-writing of her lover, she involuntarily
sprang from her seat, and hastily mixing some of the liquid, as
directed, drank it off and said to Kahermaneh, 'Your goodness has been
recompensed; my heart finds great relief from this medicine; and if my
complaint can be cured, it will be by this. What kind of a man is this
physician?'

'He is from Cufah,' was the reply; 'is a man of extraordinary talents,
and acquainted with every kind of science. He has in his employ,'
added Kahermaneh, 'a youth of great beauty and gentleness;' and as she
described his person and dress Nemah's eyes filled with tears, for she
understood it was Numan.

While they were engaged in conversation, the caliph came to pay
his maiden a visit, and Kahermaneh said to him: 'Oh! Prince of the
Faithful! an expert physician has visited our city, from whom I
obtained medicines which have proven most beneficial to Nemah.' On
learning this the caliph was greatly rejoiced, and putting five hundred
pieces of silver in a purse gave it to the maiden, bidding her send a
portion of it to the physician who had benefited her. 'His labor is not
lost,' added he; 'let him be diligent and attentive.' Nemah took four
hundred of the pieces and gave them to Kahermaneh, and then putting the
remainder into a purse, with a scrap of paper on which she had written
with her own hand: 'This from Nemah, who is separated from her beloved
friend, her country, and home;' then sealing it, she gave the purse
to Kahermaneh, who carried it to the physician, saying: 'Thanks and
blessings to you, for your remedies have proven very beneficial to our
sick one, who has regained her color and strength, and her heart is
rejoiced.'

The physician handed the purse over to Numan, who on beholding the
hand-writing of his mistress, his senses left him, and his cypress form
like a shadow strowed the ground. The physician threw rose-scented
water in his face, and as his senses slowly returned, tears fell from
his eyes. Kahermaneh seeing this, her liver burned within her; she also
wept, and in sympathizing grief, addressed Numan thus: 'Unhappy youth,
may they never smile who make you weep; pray tell me the cause of your
grief.'

  Oh! joy of the heart, and light of the eyes!
  Perce's envy, and Hoore's jealousy:
  On the mind of your breast is the dust of grief,
  And yours must be no common sorrow.

Numan replied: 'You are more piteous and tender even than my parents.
I am that unhappy youth whose companion Hedjadj ez Zalim, governor
of Cufah, by means of a deceitful old woman enticed out on a visit,
and sent off as a present to the caliph. This is the grief which has
separated me from my home and country, and sent me forth an exile in
affliction.'

'Ah!' replied Kahermaneh; 'and that beautiful creature is afflicted
wholly from being separated from you.'

Now the physician offered the purse to Kahermaneh, saying: 'I have no
need of money; I beg you, for the sake of my gray head, be kind to our
cause; keep our secret, and if you do us a favor, until death we will
not forget you in our prayers.' In fine, Kahermaneh promised to peril
even her soul in their service, and to bring the lovers together.

So, taking with her some more medicines, similarly put up and labelled,
this kind woman returned to the palace of the caliph, and opening the
conversation with Nemah, found that she verified all Numan had told
her. 'Do you desire to see him again?' asked she. Nemah replied: 'Can
you ask the sick body if it wants health, or the dying man if he wishes
for life? If I can but see his beautiful face once more with mortal
eyes, I would then willingly expire.'

Kahermaneh said: 'Then give me a spare suit of female clothes;' which
having received, she proceeded forthwith to the physician's shop, and
on putting the question to Numan whether he desired to see Nemah again,
he answered, 'Yes, even if I but look and die:'

  To the ardent lover no deception is wrong;
  Whatever the heart speaks must be true.
  Boundless are the ardent impulses of love:
  To die is a small sacrifice for one's beloved.

'Hasten, then,' said the good woman, 'put on that female dress, and
let us set out; but the All-Just alone can fulfil your wishes.' They
now took leave of the physician, and praying as they went, reached
the entrance of the palace, where a eunuch asked who was Kahermaneh's
companion? The reply was, that she was the sister of the caliph's
favorite. When they had reached the inner gate of the Harem, Kahermaneh
said: 'I cannot pass beyond this, but will wait for you here. This
passage leads by ten apartments; follow it, counting as you go, and
remember that _the ninth_ is Nemah's, while the tenth is that of the
caliph's sister. Make no mistake, and after seeing your mistress,
return to this spot.'

Numan did as he was directed; passing on, and counting the apartments
as he went; but from timidity and fear he miscounted, and entered the
apartment of the caliph's sister, Abbassah, which was furnished with a
throne-like sofa, and its walls covered with silk and brocade. It was
empty, but poor Numan, half dead with fear, in momentary expectation of
seeing his mistress enter, threw himself on the sofa.

Presently a stately and noble person, like the world-adorning
Phoebus, entered the apartment, who to her great surprise beheld a
woman seated on her sofa, who from fear did not rise up to respect her.
Abbassah, for it was her, exclaimed, 'What foolish woman are you, who
without my permission dare to enter thus my apartment?' But suddenly,
acting according to her Hashemite generosity of character, she added,
in a milder tone: 'Who are you? Come, fear not, but tell me your story.'

Poor Numan, speechless with fright, could only throw himself at
Abbassah's feet, and humbly rub his face and eyes upon them. The
noble-hearted woman was touched with pity, and said: 'Be not afflicted;
you are in a place of safety.' Then exposing his face, she perceived
he was a man; and kindly added: 'Unhappy man, what secret cause has
reduced you to adopt this disguise? what misfortune has befallen
you? Speak, and tell me the truth, for [Arabic] 'safety is in
sincerity.' Numan, with tears in his eyes, related all his story to
Abbassah; and it so touched the heart of the noble princess that she
also wept, until her tears fell down on her angelic bosom, and she
exclaimed: 'Oh! Numan, be no longer afflicted, for you are safe.'
Clapping her hands until her maidens came in, 'Prepare,' said she, 'a
seat for me, and then, giving my sâlâms to sweet Nemah, invite her to
come to see me.'

Abbassah directed her maidens to make place; and so soon as Nemah had
made her appearance, she saw Numan, and these two faithful lovers
rushing into each other's arms, fell senseless on the floor. She threw
rose-scented water in their faces, and when they had regained their
senses, they, offering prayers and thanks for her benevolence, threw
themselves at her feet. Immediately joy was on every countenance, and
the maidens attendant upon Abbassah were greatly rejoiced for their
companion's sake. Each drank three goblets of wine, and each taking
their appropriate instrument, played a lively air, accompanying it with
their voices. Even Nemah, forgetful of her past sorrows, took a lute in
her hand and played an air appropriate to the occasion of her reünion
with her lover.

In the midst of this display of delight, lo! the caliph came
unexpectedly to see his sister; and on hearing the sound of music
and song, approached her door in light step, saying, 'Barik Allah!
GOD be blessed! what sweet sounds are these?' So soon as
Abbassah became aware of his approach, she threw a shawl over Numan,
and advancing to receive the caliph, prepared a seat for him. Turning
to his sister, 'Pray,' said he, 'whatever your conversation may have
been, continue it, and let us be a partaker of your mirth.' Abbassah
forthwith handed him also three cups full of ruby liquid, which he
drank; and after it had exhilarated him, she addressed him as follows:

'Oh! Emir of the Faithful! know that once in past times there was
an aged man who had a heart-binding son, brought up with great
delicateness and care, for whom he had purchased a maiden, who for
beauty and accomplishments was the admiration of the world. These
two young persons were educated and grew up together, and loved each
other with the strongest affection. Now it happened that one evening
when this lover and his mistress were amusing themselves in their own
dwelling, the governor of that city, an unjust and tyrannical man,
passed under their house and heard the sweet voice of the maiden.
So, on the day following, he, by means of a vile woman, deceives the
maiden, gets her in his power, and sends her as a present to the
sovereign of the age. The youthful lover becomes greatly distressed on
being separated from his mistress, and devotes his life to find her.
By one means or other he obtains admittance to the palace in which she
is confined, and they meet. In the midst of their rejoicings, and the
mutual recital of the sufferings which they had experienced during
their separation, lo! the sovereign of the country suddenly enters the
apartment, and without a moment's delay, or making a single inquiry,
draws his sword and puts them to death on the spot. This is all one can
expect of an ignorant sovereign, who never inquires into the merits of
an affair. But what do you think of it?'

'Stupid ignorance!' replied the caliph; 'the lovers were excusable:
he should have learned their story, aided the accomplishment of their
desires, and prevented future injustice.'

Abbassah exclaimed: 'Oh! Prince of the Faithful! generosity and
benevolence is an inheritance of the tribe of Koraish:[A] tell me,
by the souls of your noble forefathers, did such an act, or such a
circumstance occur during your reign, and in your own empire, what
would you do?'

[Footnote A: THE tribe from which MOHAMMED descended.]

'I swear that when I was convinced that their condition was as you
describe,' replied the caliph, 'I would bestow my favor upon them, and
the deceitful governor, whose duty it was to protect true Mussulmans, I
would punish for evil administration.'

Abbassah now thanked her brother, kissed his hand, and as she
exclaimed, 'May your protecting shadow never pass over the heads of
the innocent without rendering them justice!' drew the shawl from off
Numan, and said: 'Behold, oh, Prince! the subject of my tale. This is
the unfortunate youth, and this the unhappy maiden, who so cruelly
was separated from her lover! Hedjadj ez Zalem treated them as I have
related; and is it proper that he should endeavor to cause you, noble
prince! to commit sin and injustice? Power to do good is in your own
princely hands; do whatever you may deem best.'

While Abbassah was yet speaking, the two lovers threw themselves at
the caliph's feet; and when she had finished, Abdul Malek, with the
generosity and justice which distinguished his reign, raised them up,
and taking Nemah by the hand gave her to Numan, dressed him in a robe
of honor, and placed him in the highest ranks of his officers. Soon
after he dismissed Hedjadj from his office, and appointed the prince
in his place. To Kahermaneh he gave one thousand dinars: the sorrow
which she had once felt for the lovers was turned to joy; and under the
shadow of the caliph's favor she never knew adversity. As to Hedjadj
the Cruel, the loss of his office rendered him miserable, and he ever
after lived in poverty.

  J. P. B.




SONNET

TO L. AND M. D., THE BUDS OF THE SARANAC.


  AN angel breathed upon a budding flower,
    And on that breath the bud went up to heaven,
  Yet left a fragrance in the little bower,
    To which its first warm blushes had been given;
  And, by that fragrance nursed, another grew,
    And so they both had being in the last,
  And on this one distilled Heaven's choicest dew,
    And rays of glorious light were on it cast,
  Until the floweret claimed a higher birth,
    And would not open on a scene so drear,
  For it was more of paradise than earth,
    And strains from thence came ever floating near;
  And so it passed, and long ere noontide's hour,
  The bud of earth had oped, a heaven-born flower.




WINTER.


          STERN tyrant of the year!
  The circling hours bring thine ascendant day,
  And hill and plain, sky, sea, and stream obey
          Thy rule austere.

          The conqueror's march is thine;
  Each step thou mark'st with trophies of decay,
  And with the fair earth's ruins thy proud way
          Dost thickly line.

          Deathful thy scowl of gloom;
  And the soft green from tree and shrub doth pass,
  And summer's delicate flowers and twinkling grass
          Are spoiled of bloom.

          Beneath thy chilling breath
  The sweet-voiced brooks, that bounded on their way
  Gleesome and frisk, as children at their play,
          Lie stiff in death.

          Thou speak'st, and the blithe hum
  Of insect life, the choral measures sung
  By tuneful birds the greenwood boughs among,
          Are stricken dumb.

          Earth's sceptre thou dost bear;
  And the white badge of servitude to thee
  Each crested mount, low valley, stream, and tree
          Submissive wear.

          Therefore, dread power! rejoice;
  Bid the shrill winds pipe out thy triumph high,
  And ocean's glad, accordant waves reply
          With thunder-voice.

          Yet, deem not, potent One!
  Though subject earth lie prostrate at thy feet,
  That, throned in universal empire's seat,
          Thou reign'st alone.

          The nobler Spirit-world
  No trophies of thy prowess yields to thee;
  No flaunting banner of thy sovereignty
          Is there unfurled.

          The gladsome stream of thought
  Glides fertilizing on, untamed and free,
  And tracks its bright way toward Thought's central sea,
          Heeding thee nought.

          The green growths of the soul
  Their fragrance breathe, despite thy stormy air,
  And not one delicate tint their blossoms wear
          Owns thy control.

          No winter blights and lours
  Where sojourneth the faithful spirit clear,
  Fruitage and bloom for it the teeming year
          Conjointly showers.

          Then hail, dread Power, to thee!
  Intently gazing in thy rugged face,
  E'en there, methinks, benignity I trace,
          True kindness see.

          Thou bidst me turn within
  To what, untouched of time and change, doth live,
  That, which not outward things can ever give,
          Or from me win.

          One universal tomb
  May close on all earth's glorious, bright, and fair,
  But to itself still true, the Soul shall wear
          Unwithering bloom.

  D. H. B.




IMAGINARY CONVERSATIONS.

BY PETER VON GEIST.


PRELIMINARY.--Sitting in the seat and looking on the scenes
of youth; calling back its feelings and thinking over its thoughts;
is, we may suppose, seldom pleasing to manhood. Fragments of plans;
wrong but captivating views of life; dead hopes which once lived and
bloomed; vast schemes dwindled like dry leaves; resolutions broken and
re-broken; all covered and lost sight of, under the stream of events
that is perpetually flowing into the memory, will come up, bringing a
smile and a pang; and the youth of TWENTY will stand in living
colors before the man of FORTY.

FORTY. Your face is full of joy, young man; are you thinking
of me?

TWENTY. I am thinking of you, and therefore am I full of joy.

FORTY. I know nothing in me that should give you so much
pleasure to contemplate.

TWENTY. Do you count, then, honor, wealth, benefactions, and
the blessings of your country, as nothing? Do I not see your head
encircled with the garland of praise? Are you not enriched with all
knowledge and adorned with all graces? Is this a small thing? I would
give away ten years of my life, if the space that intervenes between
you and me--Now and Then--might be annihilated this instant!

FORTY. It is perhaps as well that that space cannot be
annihilated or diminished. But could you spare ten years without
feeling the loss? Do you suppose yourself sufficiently armed and
equipped already, for the campaign?

TWENTY. On to the combat! What armor would you have, but a
quick eye, a steady hand, and a courageous heart?

FORTY. By 'a courageous heart,' you probably mean animal
spirits; but they will flag in a little while. Have you thought of
that?

TWENTY. No, Sir, I do not mean animal spirits. I mean a bold,
unshrinking heart, that goes forth to meet the world, and never faints;
one which does not grow weary when it is encompassed with adversity,
but looks, and hopes, and fights on, till it gains its high end. Is not
that armor enough?

FORTY. It is, no doubt; so hard that it can receive and not be
pierced by the darts of the enemy?

TWENTY. There is no need of its being hard. The encounter
is not a battle; it is a joust, a tournament, a passage of arms. And
cannot brothers and friends tilt, and still be brothers and friends?

FORTY. You regard, then, the business of life as the
amusements of a gala-day?

TWENTY. No, Sir! no, Sir! These figures of speech only conceal
and disguise its nature. It is neither a battle nor a play; it is
labor. By the sweat of his brow must man eat his bread.

FORTY. 'Thorns also, and thistles shall spring up to him.'

TWENTY. I say, by labor must men gain the prize. See! I am
standing at this moment on an eminence, from which I overlook the whole
plain of life. On whatever side I turn my eyes, the landscape smiles,
and the thickly-scattered objects of human desire arrest my attention,
and invite my pursuit. All are fair and enticing; but my thoughts are
fixed on that fairest and most enticing of all; that verdant hill-top
before me. On it are the power of wealth and the respect of men; the
consciousness of great actions done, of worth, or nobility; domestic
affections throw their warm colors upon it; the power of making loved
ones happy; the calm, quiet, fresh, dewy summer evening of my earthly
pilgrimage; all that makes existence a blessing is there. Between it
and me there may be much hard journeying, and many obstacles difficult
to surmount. I cannot see them all from here, and do not care. But with
my eye steadfastly fixed on that point, I descend to the plain, and set
out on the way. What though it be toilsome? What though I stumble, or
am thrust from the path, or fogs envelope me, and clouds overwhelm me?
Can any thing turn me aside from the straight course? Can any mists
be so dense as to shut out that golden spot from my view? And so I
struggle on, through darkness and opposition, always keeping within me
a brave heart and a well-braced spirit, and never relaxing my nerves,
till I reach that predestined place of repose.

FORTY. _Disjecta membra_ of a boy's dream!

TWENTY. But is it not so? Are you not now there?

FORTY. My dear young friend, there is a slight optical
illusion in the case. That promised land of yours lies beyond the
boundaries of life: the Styx rolls between.

TWENTY. I do not understand you. Beyond? Have you not reached
it?

FORTY. Do I look like one that takes his rest? or these hands,
as though I had left off working?

TWENTY. But you cannot now be far from it?

FORTY. To say the truth, I have no such place of happiness
and repose in view as you have mentioned. I lost sight of it soon
after setting out. The darkness came down on me so thick that I could
scarcely see three paces before me, and the road was so rough that I
was forced to be content to pick my steps one by one, and had no time
to think of the distant future.

TWENTY. I cannot believe it. There is many a lesser prize,
many lower heights, in your path, to be gained, which should serve as
encouragements and way-marks. I cannot believe that you have lost sight
of the ultimate object of your life.

FORTY. You have odd views of things! The fact was, when with
much exertion and difficulty I had gained one of those lesser prizes,
a little social distinction, for example, I was so fatigued that I
was glad to sit down a moment, and enjoy my acquisition. Finding it,
however, not in every respect suited to my desire, I pushed on, and
attained the next of those luminous points, which to you are only
way-marks to a higher one beyond. From these I took a survey of the
path before me; and seeing that its length rather increased than
diminished as I obtained clearer views of the intervening country, and
feeling at the same time my strength diminishing, and that 'courageous
heart' of yours, (the hope and spirits of inexperienced youth,) growing
fainter in its pulsations, I gave up the chase, and suffered myself to
settle down into, and become one of, the million.

TWENTY. Oh! weak of faith and cowardly!

FORTY. Oh! ignorant and presumptuous!

TWENTY. Well; it does not become us to bandy names. So you are
content to live for nothing?

FORTY. I live for something; for my daily bread, and for the
pleasures that to-morrow, or at the farthest the next day, may bring
forth.

TWENTY. And is not that living for nought? You have become
an ant, whose thoughts are confined within its cell, and whose cares
are centered on its single little kernel of corn. You are a fixture, a
vegetable, a sensitive plant, a shell-fish. These are lying words of
yours; I will not believe them.

FORTY. If you do not credit my report, you can go forward as
you have proposed, and satisfy yourself by experience.

TWENTY. That will I! Go forth on wings, undeterred by timorous
and hesitating counsels. I _know_ it is not so. Can I not see with my
own eyes?

FORTY. I fancy you see stars that are not in the heavens, and
sights that are not on the earth.

TWENTY. I am not so pusilanimous and easily contented as
you appear to be. My belief in the omnipotence of will and labor is
firm. Yonder object have I set my eye on; and breaking through all
obstructions, and deaf to all way-side seductions, I will force myself
straight on, till I attain it.

FORTY. Valiantly resolved! Gallant Sir Knight! Will you take
the world by storm?

TWENTY. I have told you already that it is not a battle. No
passion or strife shall mingle with my motives. Good will to all
men, and success to my compeers, even though they triumph in my
disappointment, shall be the feeling of my heart.

FORTY. As I said before, a very good resolution.

TWENTY. Nor is it necessary to spend the intervening years
in monotonous, cheerless toil. There are a thousand social affections
which spring up spontaneously in the human heart, but which wither
unless fostered, cherished, and cultivated; there are social duties
to be performed; and the whole man is to be polished into the form
of grace and nobility. At the same time, from books and men, by the
midnight lamp and in the crowded market-place, will I draw treasures of
knowledge and skill; from history, poetry, philosophy, human nature;
till I can instruct the judge on his bench, and the artisan in his
shop; till I make myself such as men have in all ages delighted to
honor, and been compelled to esteem. I will fashion my mind by the
model of strength and beauty, and will enlarge the capacities of my
heart, and fill it with love. In all this, my labors are ordered with
principal reference to that ultimate point of which I never lose sight
an instant. Men are forced to acknowledge excellence; much more will
they acknowledge it when they see that it is amiable, and love it.

FORTY. It is with difficulty that I can refrain from laughter!
You have such strange notions!

TWENTY. Do you call the notion of excellence strange? You
will next say that virtue itself is an 'Idola!' But I tell you, there
is a reality in both; I know it, for I can feel it. Nobility, virtue,
respect, and happiness, are not empty names. The last, I am conscious
of this moment; and if the others did not exist, I should never have
had given to me this desire for them.

FORTY. Ignorance and happiness!

TWENTY. Knowledge and happiness! Why should they not go
together? Will the innumerable gifts of nature ever be withdrawn? Or
will the capability of receiving pleasure from them ever be taken
away? Happiness does not necessarily accompany ignorance, but it
_does_ knowledge. And throughout the world, every man has within him a
well-toned harp, whose strings nature and society and he himself strike
together, making harmonious music. They are sometimes broken; but mine
shall be well guarded, and will never produce discord.

FORTY. Foolish and vain!

TWENTY. And have _you_ then become wise?

FORTY. I have become wise enough to know that you are foolish
and your thoughts vain; I have become a full grown man.

TWENTY. You have, indeed, attained a full growth in the wisdom
of those of sordid views and narrow foreheads! But can it be really so?
Are you what you seem to be? I have felt, more than once, a suspicion
creeping into my mind, that I might be, after all, mistaken. It must be
so; and 'how art thou cast down, O my soul!'

FORTY. Be not disconsolate, my young friend; your soul is not
so much cast down, as turned aside into another channel of thought and
mode of existence.

TWENTY. Do you mock me, with your 'be not disconsolate?'
If you speak the truth, there is nothing in life to live for. Had I
not calculated well? Had I not found the means to be used in order
to arrive at a certain position? I thought means and the result were
connected; but you have undeceived me. Or else, I am too weak and
cowardly to follow out my plans: in either case, I am of no worth in
the world, and had better quit it at the outset.

FORTY. To quit the field, you think less disgraceful than to
suffer defeat in a fair and manful fight?

TWENTY. The world's opinion is nothing to me, and I don't know
the meaning of disgrace. Fame, you say, is an empty breath, happiness
delusion, and knowledge vanity; these are the chief things that fill
the minds of men, and they are false appearances. Why, then, should I
value them?

FORTY. You cannot say that all life is not a dream.

TWENTY. Oh, I know it is; and therefore I will have nothing to
do with it.

FORTY. You are a wild colt as yet, and kick against your
traces. But the whip, the rein, and work, will soon break down that
proud spirit of yours, and you will trot along obediently and patiently.

TWENTY. That shall never be; sooner will I leave the world
altogether. To suffer this, you call courage! And to be a humble,
docile, broken brute, you call becoming wise!

FORTY. You use names without discretion.

TWENTY. Oh, you would give it a softer-sounding designation;
but the fact, though you may disguise it to yourself, cannot be
concealed. Do you labor or hope for any thing but the present, or
beyond the next hour? Do you not live with your eyes fixed on the
ground? Do you not thread your devious and obscure way through the
world, content to be unknown, and never casting a glance on the
millions that surround you? What is that wisdom of which you boast, but
to know that every man is a robber, and to bar your door against him;
that, friendship is an empty profession, and friends venial, therefore
to trust no one; that all love is a youthful folly, unbecoming the
'full grown man;' therefore to guard against its approaches? This, I
should say, is to live and think like the beast that perishes, and to
die as the fool dies.

FORTY. You were inflated with that exhilarating gas,
self-esteem; it is not very pleasant to have it escape, but you will
soon be reduced to your own proportions.

TWENTY. And you would really have me think that there is no
beauty or loveliness in the world? nothing worth hoping or striving
for? Because I believed there was, and was filled with enthusiasm in
viewing it, you say I was inflated with self-esteem. If I thought as
you do, I should contemn myself, and deserve to be despised by every
body like myself. You have lost sight of your high destiny, and defiled
your soul, which _was_ in the similitude of its MAKER, by
frequent contact with the earth.

FORTY. I was not conscious of that.

TWENTY. Tell me, if you please, what was man made for?

FORTY. I have told you already; to eat of the fruit of his
labors in sorrow, to write his name on the sea-sands, and to leave his
place to his successor after him.

TWENTY. Think you that you do not defile your soul by such
thoughts? To confine his aspirations to the snail-shell in which chance
has cast him; to find all his delight therein; to call the three or
four inches which his horizon bounds, the world; is _this_ the chief
end of man? I know not how it may be with others, but as for me, I was
made for something better. I hope, I expect, to have a higher destiny!

FORTY. The chase is after shadows.

TWENTY. My chase is after real, tangible substances. I see
them, and hope revives, strong and living, within me. Away! cold Doubt!
I must have knowledge, respect, and happiness. No obstacles shall
hinder me, and no allurements shall entice me, from my way. _My_ name
shall not be written on the sands: I will link it with lessons of
wisdom, and grave them on the eternal rock.

FORTY. Glorious dreams, young man! glorious dreams!

TWENTY. They are sober, waking realities.

FORTY. But since you will not be aroused, I would have no one
attempt to break them. Sleep on now, for the day cometh; the clear
light of morning will beam on your eyes, dispersing the mists, and then
you will see your duties and capabilities through a less distorting
medium.

TWENTY. Call it a distorting medium if you like; but if it is
the mists that make the world appear so much brighter to me than it
does to you, they shall always remain before my eyes.

FORTY. Sweet dreams; but alas! they cannot last! This
conversation with you has filled me, even me, with strange desires and
indefinite longings. But they are all vain. It is my lot to see and
deal with the world as it is, and I must be contented with my little
routine of daily toil. And to remain so contented, I must hold no more
communion with you.

TWENTY. You are a phantom, as of one in troubled slumber--a
lying spirit; and I will never again admit you to my thoughts.

FORTY. You shall be dead to me, and I will bury you out of my
sight!




THOUGHTS AT TRENTON FALLS.


            ART thou still the same,
  Or have the lapsing ages stolen away
  Thy primal beauty, or but added more?
  Beautiful stream! did thy clear waters fall
  With the same sound as now, in times remote,
  When first the sunlight shimmered on thy wave,
  Or ere the warbling of a forest bird
  Had echoed through these shades; or did'st thou run
  In level quietness, till thy smooth bed
  Was broken up by the strong hand of Change?
  Or did the sinking Deluge leave thee here,
  To fill this broken gorge?

  R. S. C.

  _New-York, Oct., 1843._




THE MIDNIGHT DREAM.

BY MRS. R. S. NICHOLS.


  I HAD a vision, love, last eve,
    That thrills my very heart with fear;
  I could not wish to see thee grieve,
    Or wring from manhood's eye a tear:
  But in this dream, I saw thee weep
    As never man had wept before:
  I would not dream the like, if sleep
    My wearied eyes ne'er shadowed o'er!

  Methought I saw thee, bending low
    Above a pale and shrouded form;
  A wreath of cold December's snow
    Flung out upon the freezing storm
  Hath more of beauty, warmth, and life,
    Than this white piece of marbled earth!
  'How,' thought I, 'have the war and strife
    Of passion in _its_ heart had birth?'

  I saw thee raise the snowy shroud
    That veiled the features from my view;
  I heard thee strangely weep aloud,
    Then slowly recognition grew
  Within my soul; _my_ body lay
    All still and wan before me there,
  Robed for the tomb, while slow decay
    Was painted on the forehead bare!

  I saw thee press the icy brow,
    Whilst I revolted at the scene;
  That lifeless clay I hated now,
    But longed against thy heart to lean.
  But woe unto that gentle heart!
    Had it but deemed my spirit near,
  I felt that agony would start
    The cold and deadly drops of fear.

  I thought if spirits thus were freed
    From dust which weighed their pinions down,
  Their destiny were bright indeed,
    If joy unmingled e'er was known.
  But I was chained unto thy side,
    While still this truth seemed strange to me,
  Though ever by thee I should glide,
    I was invisible to thee!

  I strove to lift the veil which hides
    The progress of immortal birth;
  The thin partition that divides
    The world of spirits from the earth;
  I longed to bear thy spirit up
    To flash around the golden throne,
  But then, stern Death's embittered cup
    Must first be drained by every one!

  Yet still I hovered by thy side;
    My wings thy very garments brushed,
  Whilst thou but knew I lived and died,
    All else within the tomb was hushed.
  With dreams of earth a sense was blent
    Of some neglect of duty there,
  And oh! I thought my punishment
    Was greater far than I could bear!

  How oft I heard thee breathe my name
    In tearful accents, sad and low,
  Then suddenly thy voice exclaim,
    'A ministering angel thou!'
  Still swaying thus from sphere to sphere,
    My spirit knew nor peace nor rest,
  Till daylight broke that vision drear,
    And saw me weeping on thy breast!

  _Cincinnati, 1813._




THE VENUS OF ILLE.

RENDERED FROM THE FRENCH OF P. MERIMEE BY THE TRANSLATOR OF 'THE GALLEY
SLAVE.'

BY JOHN HUNTER.


AFTER a long day's journey, I descended the last of the
Canigou mountains, and although it was now past sunset, I distinguished
in the plain beneath me the houses of the little village of Ille,
toward which I was now directing my course.

'You know,' said I to the Catalonian who acted as my guide, 'you know,
I dare say, where Monsieur Peyrade lives?'

'Do I know?' exclaimed he, 'I know his house as well as I do my own;
and if it was not so dark, I could point it out to you now. It is the
handsomest in Ille. Ah! he has got the money, Monsieur Peyrade has; and
he is going to marry his son to one richer than himself.'

'Indeed! and will this marriage take place soon?' asked I.

'Soon! I'll be sworn the fiddles are already engaged for the wedding.
It may be to-night, to-morrow, or the day after, for aught that I know.
It will take place at Puygarey, for it is Mam'selle de Puygarey, whom
young master is going to marry. Ah! there will be fine doings, I can
tell you!'

I had a letter of introduction to Monsieur Peyrade from my friend
Monsieur de P----. 'This gentleman,' said he to me, 'is a very
learned antiquary, extremely hospitable, and will take great pleasure
in showing you all the ruins and relics of art for a dozen leagues
around.' I had consequently counted upon him, to visit with me the
environs of Ille, which I knew to be rich in ancient monuments, as well
as those of the middle ages. This wedding, therefore, of which I now
heard for the first time, seemed likely to interfere with my plans.

'I shall be an intruder,' said I to myself; 'but as my visit has been
already announced by Monsieur de P----, it will be necessary for me to
present myself.'

'Monsieur,' said my guide to me, as we reached the plain, 'I will wager
a cigar I can guess what you are going to do at Monsieur Peyrade's.'

'Indeed,' said I, handing him a cigar, 'that will not be so very
difficult to guess. At this time of night, when one has travelled six
leagues in the Canigou mountains, the principal business I think will
be supper.'

'Oh yes, but I mean to-morrow. Come now, I will bet that you have come
to Ille to see the idol. I guessed as much when I saw you drawing the
likenesses of the saints of Serrabona.'

'The idol! what idol?' the word had excited my curiosity.

'How! have you not heard at Perpignan, that Monsieur Peyrade has found
an idol buried in the ground?'

'You mean a statue of terra-cotta, or clay?'

'No, no, of copper, real copper, and there is enough of it to make
heaps of sous. She will weigh as much as the big bell of a church. We
found her buried deep in the ground, at the foot of an olive tree.'

'You were then present at the discovery?'

'Yes Sir; Monsieur Peyrade told us--that is Jean Coll and me, about
a fortnight ago--to root up an old olive tree, which had been frozen
last year, for the weather you know was very cold. So you see as we
were at work, Jean Coll, who went at it with all his might, gave a blow
with his pickaxe, and I heard a _bimm_, as if he had struck on a bell.
What's that? said I. We dug away, and dug away, and presently saw a
black hand, which looked like the hand of a dead man, stretching forth
from the earth. I was frightened, and ran to Monsieur: 'There are dead
men, master,' said I, 'under the olive tree! We had better send for the
priest!' 'What, are you talking about dead men?' said he. He comes to
the place, and no sooner sees the hand than he begins to cry out like
mad, 'An antique! an antique!' You would have thought he had found a
treasure. And so to work he goes with pickaxe and hands, and with such
a hearty will that he did as much as Jean and I together.'

'And at last what did you find?'

'A large black woman, more than half naked, saving your presence, Sir,
all of copper; and Monsieur Peyrade told us that it was an idol of the
heathenish times--of the time of Charlemagne, may be!'

'Ah! I see what it is; some good virgin in bronze from a ruined
convent.'

'A good virgin! ah! yes indeed. I should have known it soon enough,
had it been a blessed virgin. No, no; it is an idol, I tell you; you
can see that well enough by its looks. It stares upon you with its
great white eyes. They say it will stare you out of countenance. One is
forced to cast down his eyes when he looks at it.'

'White eyes? no doubt they are inserted in the bronze; this must be
some Roman statue.'

'Roman! that's it; Monsieur Peyrade said it was a Roman. Ah! I see you
are a learned man; just such another as he.'

'Is it in good preservation? perfect?'

'Oh yes, Sir, nothing is wanting. It is handsomer, and better made than
the bust of Louis Philippe of painted plaster, which stands in the
town-hall. But for all this, the face of this idol does not please me.
She has got a wicked look; and in fact, she is so.'

'Wicked? why what trick has she played you?'

'Not exactly on me; but you shall hear. Four of us went to work to
set her upright; and Monsieur Peyrade, he too must pull at a rope,
although, worthy man! he hasn't much more strength than a chicken. With
a good deal of trouble we at last got her straight up. I took a piece
of tile to keep her steady, when _patratas_! down she comes headlong,
all in a heap. I sung out: 'Take care below!' but not quick enough,
however, for Jean Coll hadn't time to pull out his leg.'

'And was he injured?'

'Broken smack off was his poor leg, as if it had been a bean-pole.
Sacristi! when I saw that, I was furious. I wanted to break the idol
to pieces with my pickaxe, but Monsieur Peyrade wouldn't let me. He
gave some money to Jean Coll, who is still in his bed, though it is a
fortnight since this happened; and the doctor says he will never walk
as well on this leg as on the other. 'Tis a great pity, for he was our
best runner, and, next to young master, the best tennis-player in the
country. Monsieur Alphonse Peyrade takes it very much to heart, for he
always played with Coll. Oh! it was a beautiful sight to see them send
the balls up! _Paff_--_paff_--they never touched the ground.'

Conversing in this manner, we entered Ille, and I soon found myself in
the presence of Monsieur Peyrade. He was a little old man, still ruddy
and active, with powdered hair, a red nose, and a gay and jovial air.
Before opening the letter of Monsieur de P----, he installed me at a
well-spread table, and introduced me to his wife and son, as an eminent
archeologist who was going to draw forth Roussillon from the state of
oblivion in which the indifference of the savans had so long left it.

While eating with that fine appetite which the keen mountain air
imparts, I studied the appearance of my hosts. I have already spoken of
Monsieur Peyrade; I may add that he was vivacity itself. He chattered,
ate, jumped up, ran to the library, brought me books, showed me prints,
poured out wine for me; in short, he was not a moment in repose. His
wife, who, as most of the Catalonian women are after the age of forty,
was rather fat, and seemed to be a substantial country dame, wholly
taken up with the affairs of her household. Although the supper was
sufficient for at least six persons, she ran to the kitchen, ordered
pigeons to be killed, had fritters made, and opened I know not how
many pots of sweet-meats. In a few moments the table was loaded with
dishes and bottles, and had I only tasted all that was offered me, I
should certainly have died of indigestion. Still, at every dish which I
declined, there were fresh apologies. They were 'afraid I did not find
things to my liking at Ille. They had so few resources in the country,
and Parisians were so hard to please!'

During all this bustle and turmoil, and running to and fro of his
progenitors, Monsieur Alphonse Peyrade remained motionless as a post.
He was a tall young man, of about six-and-twenty, with handsome,
regular features, but totally devoid of expression. His figure
and athletic appearance accorded well with the reputation he bore
throughout the country, of being a first rate tennis-player. He was
dressed this evening in an elegant manner, his clothes being made to
resemble exactly the engravings of the last number of the Journal of
Fashion. But he did not seem to be at ease in his dress. He was as
stiff as a pike-staff in his velvet collar, and when he turned his
head, it was only by a movement of his whole body. His large sun-burnt
hands with their short nails contrasted strangely with his costly coat;
they were the hands of a laborer issuing from the sleeves of a dandy.

Although he examined me from head to foot, with great curiosity, which
my character as a Parisian had probably excited, he addressed to me but
a single question during the whole evening; which was to ask, where I
had bought my watch-chain.

'And now, my dear guest,' said Monsieur Peyrade to me, as supper drew
to a close, 'you are in my house, and are my property; and I shall not
let you go until you have seen all the curiosities of our mountains.
You must take some pains to get acquainted with our Roussillon, so as
to do her full justice. You must have no doubts about the things we
are going to show you. There are Phenician, Celtic, Roman, Arabic,
Bysantian monuments; you shall see them all, from the cedar to the
hyssop. I will take you every where, and not a brick shall escape you.'

A fit of coughing here forced the old gentleman to pause; taking
advantage of which, I began to express to him my regret at intruding
upon his family circle at such an interesting period.

'If you will only give me your excellent advice,' said I, 'touching
the excursions I propose making, I will not put you to the trouble of
accompanying me.'

'Ah!' said he, interrupting me, 'you mean the marriage of that
boy there. This is but a trifle; it will take place the day after
to-morrow. You must be present at the wedding with us, in a quiet
family way; for the intended bride is in mourning for an aunt, whose
property she inherits. So we are to have no merry-making, no ball.
This is a great pity. You ought to see our Catalonian girls dance.
They are buxom lasses, and perhaps some of them might induce you to
follow the example of my Alphonse. One marriage, they say, leads to
others. On Saturday, the young folks wedded, I shall be at liberty, and
then we will commence our rambles. But I beg pardon for wearying you
with this country wedding; you a Parisian, tired of city gayeties and
festivities: and a wedding without even a ball! However, you will see
a bride; and such a bride! you must tell me what you think of her. But
you are so grave and sedate a man, that perhaps you do not look at the
women. But I have something better than this to show you; I will let
you see something to-morrow! A grand surprise will you have, I promise
you.'

'Indeed,' said I, 'but it is a difficult matter to have a treasure in
one's house, without people being aware of it. I suspect I can guess
what it is you have in store for me. If it is your statue to which
you allude, the description my guide gave me of it has only served to
excite my curiosity, and prepared me to admire it.'

'Ah! you have then heard about the idol, as they call my beautiful
Venus Tur---- But I must say no more at present. To-morrow in broad
daylight you shall see her, and you will then say whether I have not
reason to be proud of such a master-piece. Parbleu! you could not have
arrived more opportunely. There are inscriptions upon it, which I, poor
ignoramus, explain after my own fashion; but a savant from Paris! You
will perhaps laugh at my explanations: for you must know that I have
drawn up a paper on the subject. Yes, even I, old country antiquary
as I am, have launched into it. I shall make the press groan. If you,
now, would read and correct my memoir for me, I should have some hopes.
For instance, I am very curious to know how you would translate this
inscription on the pedestal? CAVE---- But I must not ask
any thing of you now. To-morrow! to-morrow! Not a word of the Venus
to-night.'

'You will do well, Peyrade,' said his wife, 'to leave your idol alone
for the present. You must see that you are preventing Monsieur from
eating his supper. Besides, Monsieur has seen at Paris a great many
handsomer statues than thine. At the Tuilleries there are dozens of
them, and all of bronze too.'

'Here is ignorance for you! the blessed ignorance of the province!'
interrupted Monsieur Peyrade. 'To compare an admirable antique with the
foolish images of Costou! 'With what irreverence do my household speak
of the gods!' Do you know that my wife wishes me to melt my statue, and
run it into a bell for the church! The good dame would like to stand
godmother to it. A master-piece of Myron, Sir.'

'Master-piece! master-piece! a pretty master-piece she has made of it!
To break a man's leg!'

'Look you here, my wife,' said Monsieur Peyrade, in a resolute tone,
and stretching toward her his right leg encased in silken hose, 'if my
Venus had broken this leg, I should not have grieved for it.'

'Good heavens! Peyrade, how can you talk so? Luckily the man is doing
well; but still I cannot take pleasure in looking at a statue, which
causes such misfortunes. Poor Jean Coll!'

'Wounded by Venus, Sir,' said Monsieur Peyrade, bursting into a loud
laugh, 'wounded by Venus; the rogue may well complain: 'Veneris, nec
proemia noris;' who has not been wounded by Venus?'

Monsieur Alphonse, who understood French better than Latin, gave
a knowing wink, and looked toward me, as much as to say: 'Do you
understand that, Parisian?'

The supper at length was finished. I had not been able to eat a
mouthful for the last hour. I was extremely fatigued, and could not
conceal the frequent yawns which escaped me. Madame Peyrade was the
first to perceive them, and observed that it was time to go to bed.
Then commenced new apologies for the poor night's lodging I would have.
It would not be as at Paris. In the provinces one is so badly provided,
I must make allowances for the Roussillon fare. In vain I protested
that after a long journey in the mountains a bundle of straw would be
a delightful bed; they persisted in begging me to pardon poor country
folks, if they did not treat me as well as they wished. At length I
ascended to the chamber allotted me, accompanied by Monsieur Peyrade.
The staircase, the upper steps of which were of wood, terminated in the
middle of a corridor, upon which a number of apartments opened.

'On the right,' said my host to me, 'is the room I have appropriated to
Madame Alphonse, that is to be. Your chamber is at the opposite end of
the corridor. You know,' added he, with an air which was meant to be
facetious, 'you know we must keep the new married couple by themselves.
You are at one end of the house, and they are at the other.'

We entered a well-furnished apartment, where the first object which met
my eye was a bed about seven feet long, six wide, and so high that it
would require a step-ladder to clamber into it. My host having pointed
out to me the bell-rope, and satisfied himself that the sugar-basin was
replenished, and the bottles of Cologne water, and other appendages
of the toilet, duly placed upon the table, and having asked me twenty
times over if I wished for any thing more, at length bade me good night
and left me alone.

The windows were closed. Before undressing, I opened one, that I
might enjoy the cool night air, so delicious after a long supper.
Opposite me was the Canigou, at all times striking in appearance, and
now illuminated by the beams of a brilliant moon, seeming the most
beautiful mountain in the world. I stood for some time gazing upon its
picturesque outlines, and was about closing the window, when casting my
eyes down, I perceived the statue upon a pedestal, some twenty toises
from the house. It was placed at the corner of a quickset hedge, which
separated a small garden from a large square perfectly level, which I
afterward learned was the tennis-ground of the village. This piece of
land, the property of Monsieur Peyrade, had been thrown open to the
public by him, at the urgent solicitation of his son. At the distance
at which I stood, it was difficult to distinguish the attitude of
the statue. I could only judge of its height, which seemed about six
feet. Just at this moment, two idlers of the village passed across
the play-ground, pretty near the hedge, whistling the pretty air of
Roussillon _montagnes regalades_. They stopped to look at the statue,
and one of them apostrophized it aloud. He spoke the Catalonian
dialect, but I had been long enough in Roussillon to comprehend nearly
all he said.

'Ah! there you are, you slut! (the Catalonian epithet was more
energetic) there you are!' said he. 'It was you, then, that broke Jean
Coll's leg? If you belonged to me I would break your cursed neck!'

'Bah!' said the other, 'with what? She is made of copper, and so hard
that Stephen broke his file trying to make a notch in her. It is copper
of the time of the heathens, and harder than any thing I know.'

'If I had my good chisel here, (it seems he was a locksmith's
apprentice,) I would soon have out those big white eyes, as I would
take an almond from the shell. There's enough silver there to make an
hundred sous.'

They proceeded a few paces. 'I must bid the idol good night,' said the
larger of the two apprentices, suddenly stopping.

He stooped down and probably picked up a stone. I could see him stretch
out his arm, throw something, and immediately a ringing sound was heard
from the bronze. At the same instant, the apprentice put his hand to
his head, uttering a cry of pain.

'She has flung it back at me!' cried he; and the two vagabonds took to
flight, as fast as their legs could carry them. It was evident that the
stone had rebounded from the metal, and punished the wag for the insult
he had offered the goddess.

I closed the window, laughing heartily. 'Here is another Vandal
punished by Venus! May all the destroyers of our ancient monuments have
their heads broken in the same manner!' With this charitable wish I
fell asleep.

When I awoke it was broad day. Near my bed stood on one side Monsieur
Peyrade in his morning gown, and on the other a domestic sent by his
wife, with a cup of chocolate.

'Come, get up, get up, Parisian! Why, what lazy fellows you of the
capital are!' said my host, as I hurried on my clothes. 'This is the
third time I have been up here. I approached your door on tiptoe:
nobody stirring; not a sign of life. It is bad for the health to
sleep too much at your age. And there is my Venus, which you have not
seen yet. Come, swallow this cup of chocolate from Barcelona; real
contraband. You can't get the like of it at Paris. You will need all
your strength, I can tell you; for when you once get before my Venus
you will not so easily be drawn away from her.'

In five minutes I was ready; that is to say, half shaven, scarcely
buttoned, and with throat scalded by the chocolate, which I had
swallowed boiling hot. I descended into the garden, and found myself
before an admirable statue.

It was, in truth, a Venus, and of a marvellous beauty. She was
above the common stature, as the ancients usually represented their
principal divinities. The right hand raised to the level of the breast,
was turned with the palm inward, the thumb and two first fingers
outstretched, the two others slightly bent. The other hand placed near
the hip, sustained the drapery which covered the lower part of the
body. The attitude of this statue reminded me of that of the thrower
of the discus, which is designated, I know not why, as Germanicus.
Possibly the artist wished to represent the goddess playing at that
game.

However this might be, it was impossible to conceive any thing more
perfect than the figure of this Venus; nothing more soft or more
voluptuous than its outlines; nothing more noble or elegant than the
drapery. I had expected some production of the middle ages; I saw a
master-piece of the best period of statuary. What chiefly struck me was
the exquisite truth of its form, so that one might have supposed it
modelled from nature, did nature ever produce perfect models.

The hair, turned back from the forehead, appeared to have been formerly
gilded. The head, small like those of almost all the Greek statues,
was slightly inclined forward. As to the face, I despair of being able
to express its strange character, the type of which did not at all
resemble that of any ancient statue I remembered. It was not that calm
and severe beauty of the Greek sculptors, which imparts by design to
all the features a majestic repose. Here, on the contrary, I observed
with surprise the evident intention of the artist to express in the
countenance malice almost bordering on malignity. All the features
were slightly contracted; the eyes a little oblique, the corners
of the mouth drawn up, and the nostrils somewhat dilated. Disdain,
irony, cruelty, might be read in the countenance, which was still
of incredible beauty. Indeed, the more one looked at this admirable
statue, the more one experienced a sense of pain that such marvellous
beauty should be allied with the absence of all sensibility.

'If her model ever existed,' said I to Monsieur Peyrade, 'and I doubt
if heaven ever produced such a woman, how I should pity her lovers!
She would have taken pleasure in making them die of despair. There is
something ferocious in her expression, and yet I have never seen any
thing more beautiful.'

'C'est Venus tout entière à sa proie attachée!' exclaimed Monsieur
Peyrade, satisfied with my enthusiasm.

This expression of infernal irony was perhaps increased by the contrast
of the silver eyes, which were very brilliant, with the hue of blackish
green which time had given to the whole statue. These lustrous eyes
produced a certain illusion which almost gave the effect of the reality
of life. I recollected what my guide told me, that she made those who
looked at her cast down their eyes. This was in fact almost true; and
I could not help feeling vexed at finding myself not quite at my ease
before this visage of bronze.

'Now that you have admired every thing in detail, my dear colleague in
antiquarian lore,' said my host to me, 'let us have, if you please, a
little scientific conference. What say you to this inscription, which
you have not yet noticed?'

He pointed to the pedestal of the statue, where I read these words:

  CAVE AMANTEM.

'What do you say to that, most learned?' demanded he, rubbing his
hands. 'Let us see if we can agree upon the meaning of this _cave
amantem_.'

'But,' said I, 'there are two senses in which it may be understood. It
may be translated 'Beware of him who loves you; do not trust lovers.'
But in this sense I hardly know whether _cave amantem_ would be good
Latin. On looking at the diabolical expression of the lady, I should
rather think the artist wished to put the spectator on his guard
against this terrible beauty. I would therefore prefer translating it:
'Take care of yourself, if she loves you.''

'Humph!' said Monsieur Peyrade; 'to be sure that meaning is admissible;
but with due deference I prefer the first translation, which however I
will develop a little. You remember the lover of Venus?'

'She had a great many.'

'True, but the first one was Vulcan. Now does not this mean to say:
'In spite of all your beauty, and your proud and disdainful looks,
you shall have a blacksmith, a miserable lame wretch for a lover.' A
profound lesson, Sir, for coquettes!'

I could scarcely repress a smile at this far-fetched explanation.

'This Latin is a terrible language with its conciseness,' observed
I, not wishing to contradict more directly the good antiquary; and I
stepped back a few paces, that I might have a better view of the statue.

'One moment, colleague!' said Monsieur Peyrade, seizing my arm; 'you
have not yet seen all. There is another inscription. Get upon the
pedestal, and look at the right arm.'

So saying, he assisted me in climbing up. I put my arm without much
ceremony around the neck of the Venus, with whom I began to be on
familiar terms. I gazed at her a moment face to face, and found her
on a close survey to be still more wicked-looking, and still more
beautiful. I then noticed some small characters, apparently of an
ancient date, engraven upon the arm. With some difficulty, and by the
aid of a magnifying-glass, I spelled as follows; Monsieur Peyrade
repeating after me each word as I pronounced it, with strong emphasis
and gesticulation:

  VENERI TVRBVL * * * *
  EVTYCHES MYRO
  IMPERIO FECIT

After the word TVRBVL of the first line, there appeared to be
some letters effaced; but TVRBVL was perfectly legible.

'And what does that mean?' asked my host, chuckling, and smiling
maliciously; for he rightly thought that I would not be able to make
out this TVRBVL.

'There is one word here that I cannot yet explain,' said I; 'all the
rest is easy enough. Eutyches Myron has made this offering to Venus, by
her command.'

'Very well. But TVRBVL; what do you make of that? What does
TVRBVL mean?'

'Why, TVRBVL puzzles me a good deal; I am trying to recollect
some of the appellations of Venus to aid me. Let me see; what do
you say to TVRBVLENTA? Venus who troubles, who disturbs?
You see I am constantly impressed with her wicked expression.
TVRBVLENTA; this is not a bad epithet for Venus;' added I,
with an air of deference, for I was not myself very well satisfied with
this explanation.

'The turbulent Venus! Venus the virago! Ah! you think then that my
Venus is a Venus of the ale-houses. By no means, Sir; she is a Venus of
good society. But I am going to explain to you this TVRBVL.
You must, however, promise not to divulge my discovery before my memoir
is published; because you must know that I take some little credit to
myself for this investigation. It is but fair that you gentlemen savans
of Paris, who are so rich in the spoils of antiquity, should leave a
few ears to be gleaned by us poor devils of the provinces.'

From the top of the pedestal, on which I still remained perched, I
solemnly promised him that I would never be so base as to steal his
discovery.

'For TVRBVL. . . ., Sir,' said he, coming close to me, and
lowering his voice for fear any one else should hear him, 'read
TVRBVLNERÆ.'

I was not a whit wiser than before.

'Listen to me,' continued he; 'about a league from hence, at the
foot of a mountain, there is a village called Boulternére. This is
a corruption of the Latin word TVRBVLNERA. Nothing is more
common than these inversions. Boulternére, Sir, was a Roman city. I
have always had my suspicions of this, but never had the proof. Now,
Sir, there is the proof. This Venus was the local divinity of the city
of Boulternére. And this word Boulternére, which I am going to show
is of ancient origin, proves a still more curious fact, which is that
Boulternére, before it was a Roman city, was a Phenician town!'

He stopped a moment to take breath, and enjoy my surprise. I could
scarcely repress a strong inclination to laugh.

'In fact,' continued he, 'TVRBVLNERA is pure Phenician.
TVR, pronounce TOUR; TOUR and SOUR,
the same word, is it not? SOUR is the Phenician name of
Tyre; I need not recall to you its meaning. BVL, this is
Baal, Bal, Bel, Bul, with slight differences of pronunciation. As to
NERA, this has given me some little trouble. I am strongly
inclined to believe, in default of finding a Phenician word, that this
comes from the Greek _nerós_, humid, marshy. This, it is true, would
make it a hybrid word. To justify _nerós_, however, I will show you
at Boulternére how the streams from the mountain form stagnant pools
there. On the other hand, the termination NERA might have
been added at a much later date, in honor of Nera Pivesuvia, the wife
of Tetricus, who probably had conferred some benefit upon the city of
Turbul. But, in consequence of the marshes, I prefer the etymology of
_nerós_.'

My worthy friend here took a pinch of snuff, with an air of great
satisfaction.

'But let us leave the Phenicians, and return to our inscription. I
translate it then: 'To Venus of Boulternére, Myron, by her command,
dedicates this statue, his work.'

I took good care not to criticise my learned friend's etymology, but
wishing to give in my turn a proof of penetration: 'Hold there, Sir!'
said I; 'allowing that Myron has dedicated something, it does not
follow that it is this statue.'

'How!' cried he, 'was not Myron a famous Greek? Talent would be
perpetuated in his family; and it was one of his descendants who made
this statue. Nothing can be more certain.'

'But,' replied I, 'I see upon the arm a small hole; this, I think, has
served to support something; a bracelet, for instance, which this Myron
has given to Venus as an expiatory offering. Myron was some unfortunate
lover with whom Venus was angry, and he endeavored to appease her by
the offering of a golden bracelet. You must remember that _fecit_,
made, is often used for _consecravit_, dedicated. They are, indeed,
synonymous words; and I could give you more than one example, had I
Gruter, or rather Orelius at hand. Nothing is more natural than that a
lover should see Venus in a dream, and imagine that she commanded him
to give a golden bracelet to her statue. Myron dedicated a bracelet to
her. Afterward the barbarians, or perhaps some sacrilegious robber'----

'Ah! ha! one may easily see that you have written romances;' cried my
host, giving me his hand to assist me in descending. 'No, no; Sir, it
is a production of the school of Myron. Only look at the workmanship,
and you must be convinced of it.'

As I make it a rule never to contradict an obstinate antiquary, I
bowed with an air of conviction, and merely observed: 'It is indeed an
admirable piece of work.'

'Ah! mon Dieu!' cried Monsieur Peyrade, 'here is another piece of
Vandalism! Somebody has thrown a stone at my statue!'

He had just perceived a white mark a little below the bosom of the
Venus. I had noticed a similar appearance upon the fingers of the right
hand, which I supposed had been grazed by the stone thrown at her the
preceding evening, or more probably a fragment had been detached by the
concussion, and had glanced off from the hand. I related to my host the
insult of which I had been the witness, and the prompt punishment which
followed. He laughed heartily, and comparing the apprentice to Diomede,
wished that, like the Greek hero, he might see all his companions
changed into white birds.

The breakfast bell here interrupted our classic conference; and, as on
the previous evening, I was again compelled to eat the share of four.
Then came the farmers of Monsieur Peyrade; and while he gave them
audience, his son took me to see a new carriage which he had lately
bought at Toulouse for his intended bride. I admired it in silence, and
then accompanied him to the stables, where he kept me half an hour,
boasting of his horses, relating their pedigree, and telling me how
many prizes they had won at the neighboring races. At length, by a
transition from a gray palfrey which he intended for her use, he was
led to speak of his future wife.

'We shall see her to-day,' said he. 'I don't know whether you will
think her pretty or not. You Parisians are hard to please; but every
body here and at Perpignan think her beautiful. But the best of it is,
she is deuced rich. Her old aunt at Prades, who died the other day,
left her all her money; and no trifle either. Don't you think I am a
lucky dog?'

I was grieved to see the young man so much more affected by the dower
than by the amiable qualities of his future wife.

'Are you a judge of jewels?' continued Monsieur Alphonse, holding up
his brawny hand; 'how do you like this? Here is the ring I am going to
give her to-morrow.'

So saying, he drew from the first joint of his little finger a large
ring set with diamonds, in the form of two hands clasped together;
a pretty allusion, which seemed quite poetical. The workmanship was
very ancient, but appeared to have been lately retouched, to let in
the diamonds. On the inner side of the ring were these words in Gothic
characters: '_Sempr' al te_,' that is, 'Always with thee.'

'It is a very beautiful ring,' said I; 'but these diamonds which have
been added seem to have destroyed its character a little.'

'Oh! it is much handsomer as it is,' replied he, smiling. 'There is
twelve hundred francs' worth of diamonds there. My mother gave it to
me. It was a family ring; very ancient, of the time of chivalry. She
got it from my grandmother, who had it from her's. The Lord knows when
it was made.'

'It is the custom in Paris, on these occasions,' said I, 'to give a
ring that is entirely plain, usually composed of two different metals,
such as gold and platinum. Look, the other ring, which you have on this
finger, would be more appropriate. This one with the diamonds, and the
hands in relief, is so large that a glove cannot be worn over it.'

'Oh! Madame Alphonse must manage that as she pleases. I think she will
be very well content to have it as it is. Twelve hundred francs on
one's finger is not so bad. This little ring here,' added he, regarding
the plain ring on his left hand with an air of complacency, 'was given
me by a lady at Paris one Shrove-Tuesday. Ah!' added he, with a sigh of
regret, 'what fine times I had in Paris two years ago! That's the place
for sport.'

As we were to dine this day at Puygarey, with the relatives of the
future bride, we proceeded in a carriage to the chateau, which was
about a league and a half distant from Ille. I was introduced and
welcomed as a friend of the family. I shall not speak of the dinner,
nor of the conversation which ensued, in which I took but little part.

Mademoiselle de Puygarey was about eighteen years of age; and her
slender and delicate figure formed a strong contrast with the coarse
and robust frame of her affianced. She was not merely beautiful, but
winning and attractive. I admired the perfect simplicity of all her
movements, and the ingenuousness of her replies; and the general
expression of her countenance, which was not exempt from a slight tinge
of malice, reminded me, in spite of myself, of the Venus of my host.
In the inward comparison I made between them, I asked myself whether
the superiority of beauty, which must clearly be conceded to the
statue, did not in some degree depend upon her fierce and tiger-like
expression; for energy, even in bad passions, always excites, mingled
with astonishment, a sort of involuntary admiration.

'What a pity,' said I to myself on leaving Puygarey, 'that the wealth
of so lovely a person should have rendered her the object of attraction
to a man totally unworthy of her!'

On our return to Ille, not exactly knowing what to say to Madame
Peyrade, to whom I thought it but civil occasionally to address a word:
'You are sensible people at Roussillon,' said I; 'how happens it that
you are going to have a wedding on a Friday? At Paris we should be more
superstitious; nobody would dare to marry on that day.'

'Oh! good Lord! don't speak of it,' said she; 'if it had depended upon
me, you may be sure I should have chosen another day. But Peyrade would
have it so; and we had to give up to him. It troubles me, however, a
good deal. Suppose some misfortune should happen? There must be some
truth in the superstition, since every body has a dread of Friday.'

'Friday!' exclaimed her husband, in a gay tone; 'it is the day of
Venus! An excellent day for a wedding! You see, my dear colleague, I
can think of nothing but my Venus. To tell the truth, it is on her
account that I have pitched upon Friday. To-morrow, if you please,
before the ceremony, we will make a little sacrifice to her; two
ring-doves as an offering, and if I knew where to get a little
incense'----

'Fie upon you, Peyrade!' interrupted his wife, highly scandalized
at this proposition. 'Offer incense to an idol! It would be an
abomination! Why, what will all the country say of it?'

'At least,' said Monsieur Peyrade, 'you will permit me to place upon
her head a crown of roses and lilies:

  'Manibus date lilia plenis.'

You see, Sir,' added he, turning to me, 'the charter is but an empty
name. We have not the freedom of worship!'

The arrangements for the next day were made as follows: Every one was
to be ready, in full dress, at ten o'clock precisely. After taking
chocolate, we were to go in carriages to Puygarey, where the civil
marriage was to be performed before the mayor of the village, and the
religious ceremony in the chapel of the chateau. Then there was to be
a breakfast; after which each one was to pass the time as he pleased
until seven o'clock, when the two families were to return to Ille to
sup together at the house of Monsieur Peyrade. The rest would follow as
a matter of course. Not being able to have a dance, it was determined
there should be as much eating and drinking as possible.

Since eight o'clock I had been sitting before the Venus, with
crayon in hand, recommencing for the twentieth time the head of the
statue, without being able to catch the expression. Monsieur Peyrade
was bustling about, giving me advice, and repeating his Phenician
etymologies; he then placed a garland of Bengal roses upon the pedestal
of the statue, and in a tragi-comic tone addressed prayers to it for
the young couple who were about to take up their abode under his roof.
About nine o'clock, he reëntered the house to make his toilet, and
immediately afterward Monsieur Alphonse made his appearance, squeezed
into a new coat of the latest pattern, with white gloves, well polished
shoes, embossed buttons, and a rose at his button-hole.

'You must take the likeness of my wife!' said he, leaning over my
drawing; 'she is very pretty.'

At this moment a game of tennis commenced upon the playground, of which
I have already spoken, which immediately attracted the attention of
Monsieur Alphonse. As for myself, wearied with my task, and despairing
of catching the diabolical expression of the countenance, I presently
gave up my drawing to look at the players. There were among them some
Spanish muleteers, who had arrived at Ille the evening before. They
were from Arragon and Navarre, and most of them of great skill and
dexterity; so that the Illians, although encouraged by the presence and
counsel of Monsieur Alphonse, were soon beaten by these new champions.
The national spectators were in consternation. Monsieur Alphonse
looked at his watch; it was but half past nine; his mother had not
yet completed her toilet; he hesitated no longer; threw off his coat,
called for a jacket, and challenged the Spaniards.

Not a little surprised, I looked at him with a smile.

'We must sustain the honor of the country,' said he. I now noticed
that he was in reality a handsome man. He was excited; and his dress,
which occupied so much of his attention at other times, was nothing to
him now. A few moments before he would scarcely have turned his head
for fear of discomposing his cravat; now he thought no longer of his
curled locks, or of his ruffles so neatly plaited. And his bride! in
sooth, had it been necessary, I believe he would have postponed the
marriage, sooner than have declined the game. I saw him put on in haste
a pair of slippers, turn up his sleeves, and with an air of confidence
place himself at the head of the conquered party, like Cæsar rallying
his soldiers at Dyrrachium. I leaped the hedge, and seated myself
comfortably in the shade of a linden tree, that I might see the game to
advantage.

Contrary to general expectation, Alphonse missed the first ball. It is
true it came glancing along the ground, propelled with surprising force
by an Arragonian who seemed to be the leader of the Spaniards. He was
a man of about forty years of age, dry and sinewy, six feet in height,
and his olive skin had a tint almost as deep as the bronze of the Venus.

Monsieur Alphonse cast his racket upon the ground in a great passion.
'It was this cursed ring,' cried he, 'which cramped my finger, and made
me lose a sure ball!'

He took off, though not without some difficulty, his diamond ring. I
approached to receive it, but he prevented me, ran to the Venus, passed
the ring over the third finger, and resumed his place at the head of
the Illians.

He was pale, but calm and resolute. After this, he made not a single
mistake, and the Spaniards were completely beaten. It was a fine thing
to see the enthusiasm of the spectators. Some uttered shouts of joy,
casting their caps into the air. Others shook hands with the conqueror,
calling him the pride of the country. Had he repelled a hostile
invasion, I do not think he could have received more hearty or sincere
congratulations. The chagrin of the conquered party added still more to
the eclat of the victory.

'We will have some more games together, my fine fellow,' said he to the
Arragonian, with an air of superiority; 'but I must give you odds.'

I could have wished that Alphonse had been a little more modest; and I
felt almost pained at the humiliation of his rival.

The Spanish giant seemed to feel this insult deeply. I saw him turn
pale beneath his swarthy skin. He looked mournfully at his racket,
grinding his teeth, and then in a stifled voice, said: '_Me lo
pagaràs._'

The voice of Monsieur Peyrade disturbed the triumph of his son;
mine host, who had been very much surprised at not finding him
superintending the getting-up of the new carriage, was now still more
so at seeing him all in a perspiration, with a racket in his hand.
Monsieur Alphonse, however, in haste ran to the house, washed his face
and hands, put on his new coat, and his polished shoes, and in ten
minutes we were in full trot, on the road to Puygarey. All the Illian
tennis-players and a great many of the spectators followed us with
cries of joy; and scarcely could the vigorous horses which drew us keep
ahead of these intrepid Catalonians.

We arrived at Puygarey, and the marriage train were on the point of
proceeding to the town-hall, when Monsieur Alphonse, striking his
forehead, said to me in a low voice:

'What a blunder! I have forgotten my ring! It is on the finger of the
Venus; devil take her! However, say nothing to my mother; perhaps she
will not notice it.'

'Could you not send some one back for it?' said I.

'Bah! my servant remained at Ille; and I cannot trust these fellows.
Twelve hundred francs' worth of diamonds; 't would be too great a
temptation. And beside, what would they think of my forgetfulness? They
would run their jokes upon me, and call me the husband of the statue.
If it is not stolen----Luckily, however, these rascals are afraid of
the statue, and dare not come within arm's length of her. Bah! 't is no
matter; this other ring will do.'

The two ceremonies, religious and civil, were performed with suitable
pomp; and Mademoiselle de Puygarey received the ring of a Parisian
milliner, without suspecting that the bridegroom had made for her the
sacrifice of a pledge of love. The party then seated themselves at
table, where they ate, drank, and even sang by turns. I pitied the
bride, for the coarse and vulgar jests to which she was exposed. She,
however, made the best of her situation, and her embarrassment was
neither that of awkwardness nor affectation. Possibly courage comes
with difficult situations.

At length breakfast terminated, and it was now nearly four o'clock:
the men walked out into the park, which was a magnificent one, where
they amused themselves with looking at the peasant girls of Puygarey
in holyday attire, dancing on the greensward of the chateau. In this
manner we whiled away some hours. In the mean time the women crowded
around the bride to admire her wedding presents. Afterward, she changed
her apparel, and I noticed that she covered her beautiful tresses with
a cap, and hat, and feathers, for married women usually lose no time in
assuming the dress which custom forbids them to wear as maidens.

It was nearly eight o'clock when all were in readiness to set off on
our return to Ille. And then a pathetic scene took place. The aunt
of Mademoiselle de Puygarey, who had supplied to her the place of a
mother, a very aged and pious lady, was not able to accompany us to the
city. At the leave-taking, she made to her niece a long and touching
speech on the duties of a wife, which produced a torrent of tears, and
kisses, and embracings without end. Monsieur Peyrade compared this
separation to the rape of the Sabines. We at length got away, and
during the journey, every one attempted to divert the bride, and make
her smile, but in vain.

At Ille, supper was waiting for us, and such a supper! If the coarse
jollification of the morning had shocked me, still more so now, did
the vulgar jests and rude jokes of which the bride and groom were
especially the subjects. The bridegroom, who had disappeared for a few
moments before seating himself at table, looked pale and haggard. He
drank freely every few moments, of the old wine of Collioure, which
was almost as strong as brandy. As I was seated by his side, I thought
proper to caution him.

'Be careful!' said I; 'they say that wine'----I hardly know what
foolish speech, in accordance with the tone of the company, I was about
making, when he touched my knee, and in an under tone, whispered:

'When they get up from table, let me speak two words with you.'

His solemn manner surprised me. I looked at him more attentively, and
remarked a strange alteration in his countenance.

'Do you feel indisposed?' inquired I.

'No!' and he began again to drink.

Presently, amidst shouts and clapping of hands, a child of about
eleven years of age, who had slipped under the table, held up before
the company a pretty riband of white and red, which he had just
detached from the dress of the bride. They called it her garter. It
was immediately cut in pieces, and distributed among the young men,
who ornamented their button-holes with it, after an old custom which
is still observed in some patriarchal families. This made the bride
blush to her eyes. But her confusion was at its height, when Monsieur
Peyrade, having proclaimed silence, sang to her some Catalonian verses,
which, as he said, were impromptu. Their meaning, as nearly as I could
comprehend them, were as follows:

  'What is the meaning of this, my friends?
  Does the wine cause me to see double?
  There are two Venus's here'----

At this, the bridegroom suddenly turned his head with an air of
affright, which set all the guests a laughing. 'Yes, my friends,'
continued Monsieur Peyrade:

  'There are two Venus's beneath my roof.
  The one I found in the earth like a truffle;
  The other, heaven-descended, comes to share with us her girdle.'

He wished to say, 'her garter.'

  'My son take which you like best;
  The Roman, or the Catalonian Venus.
  The rogue chooses the Catalan, and his choice is good.
  The Roman is black, the Catalan is fair.
  The Roman is cold, the Catalan inflames the hearts of all who
    approach her.'

This sally excited a hurrah so loud, and shouts of applause, and
laughter so obstreperous, that I thought the ceiling would have fallen
upon the table. There were but three serious faces present: those of
the newly-married pair, and my own. I had a violent headache; and
beside, I know not why, a marriage always makes me feel sad. This one,
moreover, was not to my taste.

Some concluding couplets having been sung by the deputy magistrate,
which, I must say, were quite clever, we passed into the hall to
witness the departure of the bride, who, as it now drew near midnight,
was soon to be conducted to her chamber. At this moment, Monsieur
Alphonse drew me into the recess of a window, and with averted eyes
said:

'I know you will laugh at me; but I don't know what is the matter; I am
bewitched! The devil's got me!'

My first thought was, that he imagined himself threatened with some
such malady as those of which Montaigne and Madame de Sévigné speak:

'Tout l'empire amoureux est plein d'histoires tragiques,' etc. I
remembered, however, that these accidents only befel men of wit.

'You have drank too freely of the Collioure wine, my dear Monsieur
Alphonse,' said I. 'You remember I cautioned you against it.'

'Yes, may be so,' replied he, in a lamentable voice; 'but this is
something much more dreadful.'

He spoke in broken accents, and I thought him completely tipsy.

'You remember my ring?' continued he, after a few moments' silence.

'What of it? Has any one stolen it?'

'No.'

'Well, then, have you got it?'

'No. I--I cannot get it off the finger of this devil of a Venus.'

'Indeed! you did not pull hard enough.'

'Yes I did; but the Venus--she has shut her finger!'

He looked fixedly at me with a haggard expression, and leaned against
the casement for support.

'What a story is this!' said I: 'you have pushed the ring on too far.
To-morrow you can get it off with pincers; but you must be careful not
to injure the statue.'

'No! no! I tell you, the finger of the Venus is bent, closed; she shuts
her hand; do you understand me? She is my wife, doubtless, since I have
given her my ring. She will not give it back.'

For an instant, I experienced a sudden chill, and my flesh seemed to
creep upon me. But a long-drawn sigh, which he gave, sent a puff of
wine into my face, and all emotion vanished. 'The miserable wretch,'
thought I, 'is completely drunk.'

'You are a learned man, Sir,' added the poor fellow, in a deplorable
tone; 'you know all about this sort of statues; may be there is some
power, some deviltry, which I do not understand. If you would go and
see!'

'Willingly,' said I; 'come along with me.'

'No; I had rather you would go alone.'

I left the hall: the weather had changed during supper, and the
rain was beginning to fall with violence. I was about asking for an
umbrella, when a sudden thought stopped me. 'I shall make a great fool
of myself by going to see if what this drunken fellow has told me, is
true. And beside, it is possible he wishes to play some trick upon me,
to set these honest country folks a-laughing, and the least that I can
get off for will be a good soaking, and an attack of rheumatism.'

I cast from the door a glance toward the statue, which was dripping
with water, and then ascended to my chamber, without reëntering the
hall. I went to bed, but could not get asleep. All the scenes of the
past day were present to my mind. I thought upon this young girl,
so beautiful and so pure, abandoned to a brutal drunkard. 'What a
detestable thing,' said I to myself, 'is a marriage of convenience!'
A magistrate puts on a tri-colored scarf, a priest a stole, and here
is one of the finest girls in the world given up to a minotaur! What
can two beings who do not love each other have to say at a moment
like this, which two real lovers would purchase at the price of their
existence? Can a woman ever love a man whom she has once seen make a
beast of himself? First impressions are never effaced, and I am sure
this Monsieur Alphonse deserves to be hated.'

During my monologue, which I have here much abridged, I heard a
great deal of walking to and fro through the house, doors opening
and shutting, and carriages leaving: then I seemed to hear upon the
staircase the light footsteps of a number of women which were directed
toward the end of the corridor opposite my chamber. They were probably
the attendants of the bride, whom they were conducting to the bridal
chamber. At length they all re-descended the staircase. The door of
Madame Peyrade was closed. 'How troubled and sad must this poor girl
now feel!' thought I, as I turned myself upon my bed in not the best of
humors. A bachelor plays but a sorry part in a house where a wedding is
taking place.

Silence reigned for some time, when it was interrupted by heavy
footsteps which ascended the stairs. The steps of wood creaked loudly.

'What a booby!' exclaimed I. 'Ten to one, he will fall down the stairs.'

All became tranquil. I took up a book to change the current of my
thoughts. It was a statistical work of the department, enriched by a
memoir of Monsieur Peyrade upon the Druidical monuments of the district
of Prades. I fell asleep at the third page.

I slept badly and awoke a number of times. It might be about five
o'clock in the morning, and I had been awake more than twenty minutes,
when a cock crew. Day was about breaking. At this moment I distinctly
heard the same heavy footsteps, the same creaking of the stairs which
I had heard before I went to sleep. It seemed strange. I tried, while
yawning, to divine why Monsieur Alphonse should get up so early. I
could imagine nothing that seemed probable. I was about closing my
eyes, when my attention was again excited by a strange trampling of
feet, with which was presently mingled the ringing of bells, and the
noise of doors loudly opened; I then distinguished confused outcries.

'My drunken friend has set fire to something!' thought I, as I leaped
from my bed.

I dressed myself quickly and went out into the corridor. Cries and
lamentations proceeded from the opposite extremity, and a piercing
voice was heard above all the others, exclaiming, 'My son! my son!'
It was evident that some accident had happened to Monsieur Alphonse.
I ran to the bridal chamber; it was full of persons. The first object
which met my eyes was the young man half dressed, stretched across the
bed, the frame work of which was broken. He was livid and motionless.
His mother was weeping and uttering wild shrieks at his side. Monsieur
Peyrade in extreme agitation, was rubbing his temples with cologne
water, and putting salts to his nostrils. Alas! his son had been for
some time dead. On a couch, at the other end of the room, lay the bride
in strong convulsions. She uttered inarticulate cries, and two stout
maid-servants could scarcely hold her.

'Good God!' cried I, 'what has happened?' I approached the bed, and
raised the body of the unfortunate young man; he was already cold and
stiff. The set teeth and blackened face expressed the most horrible
agony. It was evident that his death had been violent, and that he had
suffered terribly. No traces of blood, however, were to be found on
his clothes. I drew aside his shirt, and perceived upon the breast a
livid mark, which extended around the sides and back. One would have
said that he had been enclosed within a circle of fire. My foot touched
something hard which lay upon the carpet; I stooped down and found it
was the diamond ring.

I led Monsieur Peyrade and his wife to their own chamber, to which I
afterward caused the bride to be conveyed. 'You have still a daughter,'
said I to them; 'she requires all your care.' I then left them alone.

I had no doubt that Monsieur Alphonse had been the victim of an
assassination, the perpetrators of which had found means to introduce
themselves by night, into the bridal chamber. The bruises upon the
breast, and their circular direction embarrassed me a good deal,
for a club or bar of iron would not have produced them. Suddenly, I
remembered to have heard that at Valencia the bravos are in the habit
of using long sacks of leather filled with fine sand, for the purpose
of putting to death those for whose murder they have been paid. I
immediately recalled to mind the Arragonian muleteer and his threat;
although I could scarcely believe that a few random words would have
instigated him to so terrible a revenge.

I went throughout the house, seeking all over for traces of a breaking
in, but could find none. I then went into the garden to see if the
assassins had got in on that side, but could perceive no certain
traces. The rain of the preceding evening had besides so softened
the ground that it would not well retain an impression. I observed,
however, some footprints deeply indented in the soil; they seemed to be
in contrary directions but on the same line, leading from the angle of
the hedge adjoining the tennis-ground, and terminating at the door of
the house. They might have been the steps of Alphonse when he went to
look for his ring upon the finger of the statue; or, the hedge being
less closely planted at this place than elsewhere, it might have been
here that the murderers had effected their entrance. As I passed to and
fro before the statue, I stopped a moment to look at it, and I must
confess I could not on this occasion behold its expression of ironical
wickedness without a sense of dread; and, my head filled with the scene
of horror I had just witnessed, I seemed to gaze upon an infernal deity
mocking at the calamity which had befallen the house.

I returned to my room, where I remained until mid-day: I then came
forth and made inquiries about my hosts. They were a little more
composed. Mademoiselle de Puygarey, I should say the widow of Monsieur
Alphonse, had recovered her senses. She had even had an interview with
the king's attorney of Perpignan, then on circuit at Ille; and this
magistrate had received her deposition. He requested mine. I told him
all I knew of the melancholy affair, and did not conceal my suspicions
of the Arragonian muleteer; for whose arrest he gave immediate
directions.

'Have you learned any thing from Madame Alphonse?' said I to the
magistrate, after my deposition had been taken down, and signed.

'The poor young creature has become completely deranged,' answered he,
with a mournful smile. 'Crazy! completely crazy! Her strange story is
as follows:

'She had been in bed,' she says, 'a few minutes, the curtains drawn,
and every thing silent, when the room door opened, and some one
entered. Madame Alphonse was then lying on the farther side of the
bed with her face toward the wall. She made no movement, thinking it
was her husband. In an instant the bed creaked loudly, as if it had
received an enormous weight. She was greatly terrified, but dared
not turn her head. Five, ten minutes perhaps--for she could form no
idea of time--passed in this manner. She then made an involuntary
movement, or it might have been the person in bed who made one, and
she felt something in contact with her as cold as ice. These are her
expressions. She buried herself beneath the bed-clothes, and trembled
from head to foot. Shortly afterward, the door opened a second time,
and some one entered, who said: 'Good evening my little wife.'
Presently, the curtains were withdrawn, and she heard a struggle and
a stifled cry. The figure in bed beside her seemed to raise itself
to a sitting posture, and to stretch its arms forward. She then
turned her head and saw, as she says, her husband on his knees upon
the bed, his head as high as the pillow, in the arms of a sort of
greenish-colored giant, who embraced him with great force. She says,
and the poor creature has repeated it to me at least twenty times--she
says, that she recognized--can you guess what?--the bronze Venus; the
statue of Monsieur Peyrade! Since this piece of sculpture has been
here, every body, I think, has gone mad. But I am merely repeating
the narration of the unhappy lunatic. At this spectacle, she became
senseless, and probably for some moments lost her reason. How long
she remained in this swoon she can form no idea. When she came to
herself, she again saw the phantom, or the statue, as she persists in
calling it, immovable, the lower part of the body in bed, the bust and
arms extended forward; and between the arms, her husband lifeless and
motionless. A cock crowed; on which the statue got out of bed, let fall
the dead body, and departed. Madame Alphonse pulled the night-bell, and
you know what followed.'

They brought in the Spaniard; he was composed, and defended himself
with much coolness and presence of mind. He did not deny the speech I
had overheard, but explained it, by saying that he only meant that on
the morrow, when he was rested, he would beat his antagonist at a game
of tennis. I remember, that he added, 'An Arragonian, when insulted,
does not wait until the next day for revenge: had I thought Monsieur
Alphonse meant to insult me, he would have had my knife in his body on
the spot.'

They compared his shoes with the print of the footsteps in the garden;
the shoes were much larger. Beside this, the innkeeper with whom the
man lodged, testified that he had passed the whole of the night in
rubbing and giving medicines to one of his mules that was sick. It
was also proved that this Arragonian was a man of good character, and
well known in the neighborhood around, which he visited every year for
purposes of traffic. He was accordingly released, with an apology for
his detention.

I had almost forgotten the testimony of a domestic, who was the last
person that saw Monsieur Alphonse alive. At the moment he was about
going to his wife's chamber, he called to this man, and in an agitated
manner, asked him if he knew where I was. The domestic replied that he
had not seen me; upon which Monsieur Alphonse gave a heavy sigh, and
remained for more than a minute without speaking; he then exclaimed,
wildly: '_Come on, then! the devil must have carried him off too!_'

I asked this man if Monsieur Alphonse had on his diamond ring when he
spoke to him. The domestic paused before replying: he at length said,
that he believed not; but that he had not paid particular attention.
'But,' added he, correcting himself, 'if the ring had been on his
finger, I should doubtless have noticed it, for I believed that he had
given it to Madame Alphonse.'

While questioning this man, I felt a little of the superstitious terror
which the deposition of Madame Alphonse had spread through the house,
creeping over me; but observing the king's attorney looking at me with
a smile of peculiar meaning, I refrained from farther inquiry.

A few hours after the funeral rites of Monsieur Alphonse, which so
closely succeeded those of his marriage, had been performed, I made
my arrangements to quit Ille. The carriage of Monsieur Peyrade was
to convey me to Perpignan. In spite of his feebleness and distress,
the poor old man insisted upon accompanying me as far as the garden
gate. We walked in silence, he leaning heavily on my arm, and dragging
himself along with difficulty. At the moment of our separation, I
cast a last look upon the fatal Venus. I well foresaw that my host,
though he did not partake of the terror and hatred with which she
inspired the greater part of his family, would be very willing to
get rid of an object, which incessantly recalled so frightful a
calamity. My intention was to persuade him to place it in a museum.
As I hesitated about opening the subject, Monsieur Peyrade turned his
head mechanically in the direction, toward which he saw me looking
so fixedly. He saw the statue, and immediately burst into tears. I
embraced him, and without venturing to say a single word, entered the
carriage.

Since my departure, I have not learned that any thing has transpired to
throw light upon this mysterious catastrophe.

Monsieur Peyrade died a few months after his son. By his will, he
bequeathed me his manuscripts, which I may possibly some day publish.
I did not, however, find among them the memoir relating to the
inscriptions on the Venus.

       *       *       *       *       *

P. S. My friend Monsieur de P---- has just written to me from
Perpignan, informing me that the statue is no longer in existence.
After the death of her husband, the first care of Madame Peyrade was
to have it cast into a bell, under which new form it now serves the
church of Ille. But, added Monsieur de P----, it seems as if bad luck
continues to attend the possessors of this bronze. Since this bell has
sounded at Ille, the vines have been twice frozen.




THE OLD MAN.

A BALLAD.


  THE old dry leaf came circling down,
    On a windy autumn day,
  The leaf all sere, and glazed, and brown,
    On the bleak, bare hill to play;
  And the sky put on its dreariest frown,
    On that windy autumn day.

  The heavy clouds went drifting by,
    As gray as gray could be,
  And not a speck of azure sky
    Could the worn-out wanderer see;
  That dark, stern man, low crouching by
    The gnarlèd old oak tree.

  But drearer grew the inky sky,
    As daylight fled away,
  And the winds came out, and hurried by,
    As if they dared not stay;
  Howling afar, and shrieking nigh,
    Like spirits doomed, at play.

  Then the old man shook his hoary head,
    As on his staff leaned he,
  For the sky above with blood seemed red,
    And the earth a bloody sea;
  And on him crimson drops were shed
    From the boughs of the old oak tree.

  Then the old man laughed a horrid laugh,
    And shook his head again,
  And clenching fast his crooked staff,
    He turned him to the plain;
  And the hills rung back his hellish laugh,
    Mocking in wild disdain.

  On, on he hurried, but still there rung
    That laugh back from the hill;
  While livid clouds above him hung,
    And forms, his blood to chill
  High o'er his head in mid-air swung,
    And all were laughing still!

  The old man noted not his way,
    For his heart grew cold with fear;
  And language never breathed by day
    Was whispered in his ear:
  But he hurried on, for he dared not stay,
    Those awful words to hear!

  He had trod that self-same path before,
    Ere evening, when he fled
  That mangled form bathed all in gore,
    And to the hill-side sped;
  And now at midnight met once more
    The murderer and the dead!

  Hushed were the winds, the clouds rolled back,
    And on that lonely dell,
  Revealing clear a blood-marked track,
    The cold, pale starlight fell;
  Ah! light the old man did not lack,
    His handiwork to tell.

  He had loved full long and well the youth,
    So cold and quiet lain,
  But what to him was love or truth?
    For bitter words and vain
  Had passed that day; and now, in sooth,
    He ne'er might love again!

  Morn came; and on one fearful bed,
    In that dark, lonely wild,
  With sere brown leaves of autumn spread,
    The sun looked down and smiled;
  But there they lay, stiff, cold, and dead--
    The old man and his child!




SKETCHES OF EAST-FLORIDA.

NUMBER THREE.

SAINT AUGUSTINE: THE FIRST LOOK.


THERE are places, and there are passages, in life that keep
bright in all weathers. They improve just in proportion as we have
been able to contrast them with others, and change, if at all, only to
come a little closer to the heart. I beg Tom Moore's pardon; he says
something about 'growing brighter and brighter,' but he was thinking
of a first kiss, or a last one, which perhaps hangs the most; or at
the moment of that writing, he may have had a side-thought for the
choice wine that smoothed his inspiration; all which are very charming,
bewitching, and all-possessing to those who affect that sort of
thing----But I was only thinking of St. Augustine, East-Florida. I may
live to feel a stronger pull at the heart; but so far, St. Augustine is
my particular passion. And what the deuce is the reason? It is not my
home, for my first step 'forward and back' was in the face of a cold
wind; high mountains on either side, and the only gap in them opened to
the north-east. All winds north of the sun's track had to bend around
and come in by that gap. Of course, every thing in that country has a
north-east cast, and perhaps this is why I love the south, for it's
hard loving any thing that is forced upon you with the pertinacity of
a high wind. Men running after hats, women holding their skirts down,
toppling chimneys, and faces tied up with the tooth-ache, prevail in
all that region; wherefore it is, that those who cannot learn to love
the place, for these privileges, will (if only to be obstinate) love
so much the more the warm sun and air of the south, and the quiet,
the repose, the opiate of the southern climate. But I do not mean the
south-west. I was once crossing the Alleghanies, on my way to the
south-west, when, fortunately, it occurred to me that the south-west
was only a north-easterly continuation, and I immediately struck off at
right angles, or rather left angles, and landed in Florida. That, Sir,
is the exact spot, where the hat takes care of itself.

I am willing to believe that there _are_ people who sleep with their
feet uncovered, when the mercury at the bedside is below freezing,
because I have seen it done, and not as a penance, but a privilege,
to which the physician gave his consent; and I have myself, springing
from a warm bed, stepped into a tub of water frozen so hard as to
require my whole weight to crush a passage through the ice. I have done
this often, but not for the pleasure of it. I have also been through
a course of _calido-frigido_. I suppose you know all about that, Mr.
EDITOR, _calido-frigido_? Well, I will tell you the order of
proceeding.

Get into a warm bath, so exactly tempered to your delicacy of outline,
that the change from the warm air of the room is insensible, and having
stretched yourself, part your limbs, so as to produce a vacant space in
the water, and into this space let your servant pour hot water which
you will pump up and down with a long-handled brush. (I say you _will_
pump, because if you don't, it will be too hot there.) The servant
then brings _boiling_ water and continues to pour, and you to pump,
till your nerves begin to slacken, and insensibly to you, the pump
works slower and slower, and at last it stops. You think you are still
pumping, but that is a delusion. You are now in boiling water, but
like the approach of vice, or any other insidious thing, the change
has been so gradual, that you are not sensible of boiling; you only
_know_ that you are very comfortable, and that is sufficient. 'John,
you may go,' but John knows better. Presently you begin to confess that
you are a little happier than usual, and you speculate about Heaven;
where it may be; how far off, and whether it is possible to make a
nearer approach before breakfast; and then a faintness comes over
you, a die-away-ative-ness, during which, you forgive your enemies,
and bless those that persecute you; in short, you love every body
and every thing beyond all conception, and you would clasp the whole
universe with all its black spots of sin and damnation, for your heart
is melting within you. All this time, John has an eye upon you; and
just as you are going to sleep, with the infatuation of a man sucking
exhilarating gas, he lifts you from the bath, and with a struggle, you
are landed upon the floor. You stagger, and grasp at a chair to keep
from falling, and the servant, dipping a pail in a tub of iced-water,
gives you the whole contents at a single dash. First in front, then in
the rear, then under each arm; after which he jumps upon the bath, and
drops a pail-full on top of your head. Of course you try to knock him
down with a chair, or poker; but at every attempt, _splash!_ comes the
bucket of water; and at the last throw, the servant disappears. Such,
Sir, is the operation; and they say there is no living in this climate
without going through it once or twice a week. If you have lived so
long, Mr. Editor, without doing it, don't flatter yourself that you
will live much longer. You may die suddenly, some cold morning, from
not practising the calido-frigido. After the calido-frigido, you
breakfast; and stepping into the street, any warm morning in January,
the snow is melting from the hot sun, and the gutters are running; the
effect of which is so sickening that every body is at a gasp. But _you_
delight in it. In the evening of the same day you walk home to dinner
in a snow-storm; streets glazed with ice, wind blowing a hurricane out
of the north, and Fahrenheit, as the evening papers tell you, twenty
degrees below zero; but to _you_, the weather is charming; only a fine
bracing atmosphere. Why? You and your servant went through the same
contrasting operation before breakfast. Sir, you are acclimated.

But we have forgotten St. Augustine. Perhaps there is something in
getting there that renders the place so charming. The pleasantest
route is by way of Savannah, which you may reach by rail road and
steam-boat in three or four days, or in half a dozen by packet, with a
rough-and-tumble, pleasant or unpleasant, as the wind happens, and a
day or two additional in working up the river, a tide at a time. But
there you are in another climate; and if it pleases the wind not to
blow, you are quite indifferent whether the ship is a day or a week in
getting up the river. How delightful to be without the necessity of
overcoat and umbrella; and oh! how delicious the soft warm air after
a week's passage at sea. Matter-of-fact here, is better than the most
frolicsome imagination, especially that of being seven hundred miles
from the region of ice and snow. There is nothing very enticing in
the low, flat shores, or the interminable marshes, or the cormorants
standing in a row on the beach; but over all, lying warm and lovingly,
is the soft haze of the Indian summer, giving the country a look, not
like spring, for that has life and effort, and the feeling of spring is
bounding; nor like summer, with its scorching heat and long wearisome
days; nor is it much like our northern autumn, for that has decay and
death; the moaning wind and the rustling of dry leaves; the scarlet tea
that gives the same nervous tremor under foot that green tea does to
the head; but (if you won't laugh) it is something like what we imagine
of the silent land; not dead, but sleeping. You will query whether to
crack nuts and eat apples on deck, or go ashore and dream away the day,
not in joy or sadness; no looking before or behind, and no speculation
or argument upon the present; but merely its enjoyment. How is your
blood, Sir? Bounding, with a steady motion like the falls of Niagara,
or faint and intermittent? Have you suffered yourself to get feverish,
merely for the fun of the thing, and now have to endure its _tortures_?
Have you prayed for _rest_--rest, that one burden of your prayer? Then,
Sir, take the first packet for the Savannah river, and shoot duck, from
the quarter deck; or, if you choose to land on some of the islands,
there are hawks there that will let you shoot at them a dozen times
without winking! But perhaps you are a better marksman. I like any
thing that is off-hand; but the wit of _aiming_ hard at any thing,
with the savage determination to kill, in this world of short-comings,
great outlays and small returns, is too forced to suit my particular
temperament. I don't see the point of it. The next best thing after
shooting, is to go ashore on the west side. On the edge of the bluff,
which looks down upon the rice-fields and the river, there is a small
circular opening in the live-oaks; and standing about that circle, are
fifty to a hundred blacks threshing out rice. There are old men and
women, and young men and maidens, and all varieties of dress, from
the coquettish and full, to the indifferent and _half_-dress of more
fashionable circles; skirts tucked, skirts looped, and skirts gathered
at the waist; some with a riband, and some with a scarf dangling;
all with a head-dress of some kind, and all singing whatever happens
to be the impromptu of the occasion. The boys question and the girls
answer in a kind of chant, and this is repeated opera-fashion once or
twice, when the young and old all join in a regular break-down, and
then the flails come down all as one, and exact as the bow-tip of an
orchestra-leader. The young girl sings with a roguish cast of the eye,
and a smile on her lip, but the old men, and the old hags of women, how
frantic they look as they burst into the chorus! Here and there is an
old African, who hardly knows what it all means, but with a guess at
the subject, he joins in with his native lingo, and his notes are as
well timed and unearthly as the best of them. The song may affect to be
lively and joyous, but it is not so. There is something so sad and wild
about it, that I defy any one who knows the tones of the heart, to look
on and listen without something of a shudder. And yet they appear to be
happy, all but those old creatures who have the look of being past all
care or hope. On the edge of the bank, in a sentry-box, a man stands,
with rifle in hand, ready to pick off any bird that may come within his
aim, and on the other side of the group is an old, blind, gray-headed
negro sitting in the straw, with a dozen half-naked children frolicking
about him, and rolling in the sunshine. Puffing away at his pipe that
went out 'long, long ago,' he will sit there in the sun hour after
hour, bare-headed and almost motionless, muttering to himself, or
grasping eagerly at the young ones, as though he would tear them in
pieces; but they know better, for just so have they seen an old cat
play with her kittens. Occasionally he starts, as though he heard and
understood the song of the threshers, and with a fling of his arms, as
if there again at his old post, he breaks out with some old, forgotten
ditty, and then crouches down again in the straw, motionless as before;
and so the time goes by, till the children lead him away to his hut and
his hominy.

In this lounging way a day or two passes pleasantly, during which the
ship has drifted up to Savannah, where fifteen darkeys, of different
sizes and novelties of wardrobe, stand ready, each with a hand raised
to his hatless head, to take your luggage to Mr. WILTBERGER'S.
Not less than fifteen will answer; for it needs two for a hat-box,
three for a valise, and five for each trunk. I recommend this in
preference to the more gentlemanlike way of having your baggage sent
for; for a cart would have to be got up for that purpose, and a negro
who could harness a horse in less than half a day, would be too smart
to live at the South. With this ragged troop you clamber up the high
bank, and after a good deal of fuss, find yourself in a pleasant room
at the Pulaski House, and look out the open window to see what is going
on; but the square and the streets are still and dreamy as midnight.
Nothing living save the warm sunlight; but that seems so much a thing
of life, that you put out your hand to see if it will bite, and, rather
surprised that it don't, look about again for an object.

The shop doors are all open, and through one of them is discovered a
man with a lathered face, the sunshine lying half way up his lap, a
white barber holding his nose, and a small black one whisking about
the room with a brush. Every little while the small barber goes out
to the door-steps to pull at the ears of a dog that lies asleep on
the side-walk, and then back again to brush with renewed vigor. It is
not fly-time, but he is whisking for a picayune. And this is all that
can be seen of Savannah during the impatient half-hour of the day.
At the end of that time, a black head appears at your door and asks,
'Will massa please walk down to dinner?' which being repeated three
times to make you fully understand the meaning, you follow the head to
the first floor, and sit down to constituents from all parts of the
land. Delicate preparations from the interior, the substantials from
Charleston market, the luxuries of the Florida coast, and West-Indian
fruits freshly-gathered, are all there, to help charm away the hour.
Beside, there are pleasant faces and bright eyes about you, and not
the slightest jar to disturb your digestion. Those who like to doze or
dream over the last half hour, will find the low murmur of table-talk
as lulling as a brook in a June night. After dinner you step into the
street with renewed conviction that stomach and climate have more to
do with one's religion than most people imagine. The wide street that
opens to the south (every one knows how beautiful are the streets in
Savannah) leads past a cemetery, where of course it is very still
and solemn, but it is equally so in every other, save the one that
skirts the river bank; and even there the cawing of the crows a mile
distant over the river comes to the ear as distinctly as in the shut-up
mountains of the Highlands. Fifty feet below are the outward-bound
ships, stowing away their cotton for the East, and from their gloomy
depths comes up the half-smothered, never-ending song of the negro
slave. All day long you may hear the same monotonous, melancholy cry,
a little exaggerated as the labor varies; and, with only at long
intervals a louder quack from some bold crow venturing over, or the
far-off scream of a boat coming down the river, there is nothing to
prevent your taking a siesta, wherever the humor of the moment is
disposed to be lazy.

The journey south from Savannah was formerly made in what is called the
inland passage, between the Sea Islands and the main land. The boat
that ran in those waters, some seven or eight years since, promising
to reach Picolata as soon as the weather and tide would permit, was a
small fussy affair, lying very low in the water, with no cabin under
deck, but hatchways very convenient to fall through, and a power of
engine, equal to--say five hundred cats. It also had about the same
power of screaming, and was steered by a big black on the upper deck,
with the old-fashioned tiller. Much of this inland channel is narrow
and crooked, running for long distances through immense marshes, where
the passage was alike solemn and slow. If the helmsman happened to
look aside for a moment, it needed but a slight penchant either way
for the boat to go ashore; but the motion was never so great as to
send us very far inland, and by the help of setting-poles and reversed
wheels, we were soon made to float again. But it would sometimes come
to pass, that in working with the one desire of getting the boat off,
the captain and his men forward and the big helmsman aft would not
amalgamate in their operations, and the boat when launched would be
heading the wrong way. In such cases, we had to run back to find a
place wide enough to turn in, or go ashore again very carefully, and
repeat the operation. As this occurred pretty often, and the captain
always found some landing-place to rest over night, it was only after
many days, and a die-away scream, as though the poor old thing was
breathing its last, that the boat reached its destination. _Now_,
the boats are intended to be sea-worthy, and when the weather is
pleasant, the passage is made outside, running in between the islands
occasionally to the landings on the coast, and stopping at St. Mary's
the last night, so as to pass the bar at St. Augustine by daylight. The
tide of those inland seas and rivers seems to be very sluggish; but a
little incident occurred a few years since, showing the contrary, in
no very contemptible manner. Half a dozen of us had taken passage for
St. Augustine, and the third day out, just after we had passed the St.
Johns, the wind suddenly freshened from the south, and the boat pitched
about to such a degree, that we decided upon running back and making
the harbor. The captain had never passed the bar, and the breakers
were in one continued dash of foam for miles, presenting no passage to
the eye; but a gentleman on board said he knew the way, and under his
pilotage we floundered through; and avoiding a wreck that was rolling
about near the scene of its disaster the day previous, we ran up to
Pablo and fastened to a schooner that was secured to a dock; shortly
after, a government steamer came in and made fast to us outside, so
that the three vessels and the dock, which was quite long, extended
some distance into the river. After a stroll of some hours on shore,
prying into the bushes very carefully, for fear of Indians, we went
back to supper, condoled with the ladies upon sea-sickness, discussed
the probability of an Indian attack, and went to bed. The night soon
fell, solemn and still; so still that the small talk of the pelicans
over the river might have been heard distinctly; that is, if any one
had been awake to listen; but some time between midnight and morning,
there was a sudden shock, something like an earthquake, only more
personal; after which a shouting and tramping, but no yells, as in that
case it would have been an Indian attack. What could be the matter? We
might have been struck with lightning, or, as any thing is possible to
our apprehension, it might be that the boiler had burst, though the
fire had gone out long ago; but then the engine would certainly have
screamed at that; beside, in case of lightning, or steam, we should
have smelt, or felt it, which we did not. All things considered, as
there was no cry of fire, nor murder, we turned over in our berths,
and went to sleep again. The next morning, going on deck, we found the
boat anchored some two miles from shore; the government steamer still
farther out on the west side; the schooner in another direction; the
dock in pieces, hither and yon; and outside of all, dancing about in
the breakers, was the wreck. Fine work, indeed, for Sunday morning! The
old thing had gone up with the tide in the night, and getting a fair
start, came down broadside on, and carried us all out to sea!

About nine o'clock, we fired up and ran down the coast, making St.
Augustine early in the afternoon, to the great delight of the idlers
who had marked our coming by the black line on the horizon, long before
the boat was in sight. The coast of Florida above St. Augustine is not
such as we should expect from the promised land; a smooth white beach
with little hillocks of sand in the rear, having a stunted growth of
scrub oak, with here and there a cabbage-tree, or palmetto, and in
the spring a few large flowers of the Spanish-bayonet, looking in the
distance like sentries with white feathers, posted on the verge of the
sea.

St. Augustine, sheltered by an island in front, and a sea-wall running
close along the town, presents only a long line of low, flat stone
houses, with narrow sandy streets, a square in the centre with a
church and cathedral, and at the upper end of the town, an old fort,
looking as though it had been built in the time of Adam, and so, for
that matter, looks the town. There is much, very much, that would be
intolerable in any other latitude; but oh! beautiful, beautiful beyond
all picturing, the climate! The first day you take to be the belle of
the season; a little passée, and a little sad, you think, but for all
that, very bewitching. Well, the next day rises and sets the same, with
perhaps a brighter blush at parting; and after a fortnight of such, you
feel an utter contempt for all the extras and extravaganzas of northern
life. Your boxes of books are unopened, and so they remain all winter,
with an increasing wonder that you ever cared for them, when the song,
and the dance, and the _real_ poetry of life can so thoroughly fill the
heart. Nothing under heaven to do, (so you say in writing home,) and
yet with fishing, and riding, sea-bathing and nine-pins, pic-nics and
dances, and the half dozen 'sociables' of the day, not forgetting the
one 'round the corner,' you will go to bed in the small hours, with
some urgent fancy still ahead, which will be fresh for the morning;
and, sure that the sun will rise to-morrow, and abide with you, you
neither hurry your dreams nor your breakfast. The devotional hour, to
be sure, is at sunrise; but the Catholic bells are ringing at all hours
of the day, and a man would be indolent indeed, who could not make out
some religion from these multiplied conveniences.

So passes the day, the week, the month, the winter; and with so much
done, there are so many pleasant things undone, that the longer you
tarry the greater will be the throng to put a finger on your lips at
the last good-bye. Verily, those who love pleasant faces and warm
hearts will love St. Augustine. But it is not the place for all.
The young, the eager, and the ambitious should not go into that
silent land; and especially to those who have that kind of nervous
irritation which requires _stimulants_ to allay, would the climate
be frightful. Such persons would have the St. Vitus's dance. But the
mentally-dyspeptic, and all those who have tired of crowds, and forced
civilities; all those, in short, who in one way or another have 'had
enough of it,' will find all true as above written.

Have you ever found yourself sitting up in bed after long illness,
fever or delirium? You listen to the song of birds, and the thousand
and one voices of the outside world, and wonder whether you are in
the same old planet from which you retired long ago in sickness and
disgust. You think back, and there is a confused memory of pain and
trouble; of long nights in which you neither slept nor waked; of a
kind hand that seemed ever vainly attempting to minister comfort about
you, and of low tones sounding in your ear like voices in the dark:
musing in this way, you sink back upon the pillow, with your face
turned to the light, and after a little, begin to argue with yourself,
very rationally as you think, whether _this_ too is not a dream, only
pleasanter than usual; and then you dispute whether you were just now
sitting up in bed, and deciding on the whole that _that_ too was a
delusion, you fix your eyes upon the sunshine playing on the carpet,
and sleep again. Half an hour afterward you wake to the touch of warm
lips, the clasp of warm arms, and open your eyes to another's----and so
forth.

Not unlike, in this quiet city of St. Augustine, is the feeling with
which you thank GOD that you have escaped the fretting,
restless fever of a northern life. As to the lips and arms, I say
nothing; but oh! good-bye to the long faces, the sharp look of care
and apprehension; the cold reply, the rush of the eager heartless
throng; good-bye to all your cold things of the forty-second latitude!
I look back upon the long line of a thousand miles, and say that your
cold winds shall not reach me; your blustering northerners, and your
blustering politics shall storm within their own dominions. Good-bye!


HEART-COMPENSATIONS.

  THERE'S not a heart, however rude, but hath some little flower
  To brighten up its solitude, and scent the evening hour:
  There's not a heart, however cast by grief and sorrow down,
  But has some memory of the past, to love and call its own.




THE MEETING AT SEA.

 SPOKEN--Sept. 5, Lat. 47 41, Lon. 12, ship South Carolina,
 OWEN, from Havre, for New-Orleans; (by the Rochester, at
 Cowes, from New Orleans, commanded by a son of Captain OWEN.
 They had not seen each other for several years, and the weather being
 fine, Captain OWEN of the Rochester made a visit to his
 parent.)

  SHIPPING LIST.


          WHEN amber skies hung o'er the wave,
            And autumn winds were light,
          And neither sea-fowl dipped his bill,
            Nor petrel took her flight;
          When o'er the ocean here and there
            A tremulant ripple swept,
          And on the vast Atlantic's breast
            A deepening silence slept;
  The captain of a gallant ship, with hearty sailors manned,
  Paced slowly o'er the quarter-deck, and all the horizon scanned.

          The stamp of youth not yet removed,
            He trode with manly grace;
          His heart unhurt by brooding woes,
            No wrinkle marred his face;
          Yet, with a brow sunburnt and broad,
            An eye with eagle's fire,
          A stalwart form, might well work out
            Ambition's proud desire;
  He for the moment felt a thrill as tender yet as wild
  As e'er touched woman's bosom, or the heart of sunny child.

          Afar, and yet how far it was!
            A white speck caught his eye,
          Most like the wing of some fair bird,
            Between the wave and sky;
          But though along the trackless deep
            Such things were often seen,
          The sailor's eye was moistened,
            And he showed an altered mien;
  Whoe'er could then have looked upon the compass of his soul,
  Had marked the needle of quick joy point truly to Hope's pole.

          'Make sail! make sail! ay, 'fore and aft,
            Below, and up aloft;
          Spread wide the billowy canvass,
            To catch the breezes soft.
          My spirit feels, that ere this day
            Shall deepen into shade,
          Or ere these winds shall all expire,
            Or sunset colors fade,
  I'll grasp a hand, and clasp a form, ungrasped, unclasped for years!'
  'Ay, ay! make sail!' the seamen cried, 'stand by to haul, with cheers!'

          Then glided fleetly o'er the wave
            That tall and graceful ship,
          While ripples murmured at her bow,
            As words from woman's lip;
          The dark keel glided onward,
            O'er beds of tinted shell,
          And shaded from the intruding sun
            Full many a mermaid cell.
  Joy was around her--joy above, as on her path she went,
  Like some o'er-joyful messenger, on welcome errand sent.

          As some white cloud which riseth up
            Through Heaven's eternal blue,
          That speck in the horizon rose,
            And broader, larger grew.
          Full soon three taper top-masts lie
            Outlined against the sky,
          And from the halliards, waving out,
            Three well-known signals fly;
  'Bear down! 'tis he! my noble Sire! as cherished on the seas
  As when, a child, I clambered up, to prattle on his knees!'

         *       *       *       *       *

          Behold! two ships upon the deep,
            With canvass partly furled,
          And flags that droop along their masts,
            By breezes scarcely curled:
          No sound of flapping rope is heard,
            No creak of heavy block;
          But side by side, and easily,
            Those meeting vessels rock.
  'My son! my father!' Both have met upon that ocean-plain,
  And thoughts of home and childhood-life crowd on their hearts again!

  _New-Orleans, Oct., 1843._
  A. C. AINSWORTH.




THE QUOD CORRESPONDENCE.


HARRY HARSON.

CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH.


MICHAEL RUST sat in his office with his arms twined round his
knees, and his chin bowed down to them, like a wild beast crouching
to spring. His thin cheek was thinner than on the day before; his
hair tangled and matted; and, unconsciously, he grated his teeth, and
muttered to himself. But he neither moved, nor changed his position;
and the black flashing eye, which darted hither and thither, never
resting, even for a moment, alone showed that his mind was on the alert.

He was awaiting the return of his messenger, who was exceedingly
dilatory. Step after step came and went. Persons ascended and descended
the stairs; and as the morning advanced, and the hours of business
approached, the sound of out-door bustle increased, until a perfect
current of human beings seemed to pour through the street. Still,
Rust sat there in silence, watching the return of his clerk. Once,
he fancied that he distinguished his voice in the entry. He got up,
opened the door, and looked out; a strange man was loitering in the
passage, but no one else. He shut it, dragged a chair to the middle of
the room, stamped it down heavily, and flung himself into it, gnawing
his fist with impatience. Ha! a step slowly ascended the stairs. He was
certain this time. It was Kornicker. There was no mistaking that heavy,
irregular tread; but, nevertheless, Rust did not stir until the door
opened and Kornicker walked in.

'Your answer!' said Rust, looking at him, as if to read his success in
his features.

'He'll come.'

'When?'

'He didn't say,' replied his clerk, shutting the door by butting his
shoulder against it.

'Did he write?'

'No.'

'Good!' replied Rust, abruptly. 'Any thing else?'

'No. If you're done with me, I'll get my breakfast.'

'Go.'

Kornicker departed, and Rust relapsed into his old attitude,
occasionally biting his nails, or passing his fingers through his
matted hair, or casting a suspicious glance toward the door.

Half an hour had passed, and Rust was absorbed in his own dreams, when
he was startled by a heavy step at his door. He sat up in his chair,
and listened attentively, holding his breath. There was something in
that step which he did not like. It was calm, slow, and deliberate. He
hoped that it would pass on, but it did not. Two hard knocks at the
door followed.

'Come in,' said Rust, without rising.

The door opened, and Harson and Holmes entered. Still Rust sat where
he was, with his black eyes peering from beneath his heavy brows, and
glancing from face to face.

'I'm seeking a Mr. Rust,' said Harson, advancing.

'That's me. My name is Rust,' was the laconic answer.

'And mine is Harson,' replied the other. 'I received this, this
morning,' said he, pointing to the letter which he had received from
Kornicker, 'and have come to keep the appointment proposed in it.'

Rust moved uneasily on his chair, and turned to the lawyer; for some
moments he did not speak; but at last, seeing that no farther efforts
at opening a conversation were made by his visitors, he pointed to
Holmes, and asked:

'Is that gentleman's name Henry Harson, too?'

'No,' replied Harson.

'Then he wasn't invited here. My note was to Henry Harson, and to no
one else. My conversation is to be on private matters, which I don't
choose to make known to every body.'

'Perhaps it is as well that I should go,' said Holmes, without any
trace of anger. 'I'll leave you, Harry, and will return in half an
hour.'

He was leaving the room, when Harson laid his hand on his arm, and
said: 'No, no; don't go, Dick; I can't spare you.' Turning to Rust
he added: 'There are no secrets between this man and me, and I don't
intend that there shall be. So, what you have to say, you must speak
out before us both, or keep it to yourself.'

Rust eyed him for a few moments in silence, with his thin lips closely
compressed, and then looked on the floor, apparently making up his
mind. At length he said, in a slow tone: 'So you _will_ have him here,
will you? Well, be it so. Should what I say hit hard, thank yourself
that one more knows it than is necessary!'

He went to the table and took up a letter, which he handed to Harson.
'Did you write that?'

Harson opened it, and ran his eye over it. 'I did,' said he. 'How came
_you_ by it?'

'No matter. You'll find that out, some day; but not now. I may have
borrowed it, I may have found it, or bought it, or begged it, or stolen
it. Michael Rust, you know, is not too good to do any thing. I think
you hinted something of the kind in it.'

Harson passed the letter to Holmes, who seating himself, deliberately
perused it, and turned it over, and examined the back, with a kind of
habitual caution. There was a smile upon his lips, as he read it, that
puzzled Rust. 'It's not at all improbable that he _may_ have stolen
it,' said he, folding it up, and returning it to Harson. 'The language
is free, but no doubt it is deserved.'

Rust's eyes fairly shot fire, as they encountered the calm, steady gaze
of the old lawyer. But he could not look him down, and he turned away
and said:

'I'm not fond of law, or there is that in that letter which, if
revenged in a court of justice, would fall heavily upon the writer of
it.'

'Perhaps so, perhaps so,' said Holmes, in reply.

'Well, Sir, I'll not waste time about this matter, but will state why
I sent for you; which was, not to ask favors, but to warn you against
the consequence of your own acts. For weeks, a man whose gray hairs
might have brought him prudence, has been at work in the dark, tracking
my footsteps, prying into my actions; throwing out insinuations
against me; asserting nothing openly, but doing every thing in secret;
working with the vilest tools, and frequenting the haunts of the very
offscouring of the earth. It was a noble pursuit,' said he, bitterly,
'and it was worthy of the person upon whom I was at last able to fix
it. That person was _you_,' said he, pointing to Harson. 'Stop, Sir!'
said he, seeing that Harson was going to speak, 'stop, Sir. Your turn
will come. Hear what _I_ yet have to say. I have told you what you have
done; I have told you too that I hated law; but if you think that I am
the man to be hunted down like a beast, and branded in the eyes of the
world, with impunity, you don't know Michael Rust.'

Harson's fingers had gradually closed, until his fist grew into a form
not unlike the head of a sledge-hammer; and for a short time it was a
matter of no small doubt whether it would not light upon the sharp,
fierce face that glared upon him. But a cautioning glance from Holmes
called him to himself; and he replied in a manner which, if less to
the point, was at least more peaceable: 'What I _have_ done, I will
abide by; what I _intend_ to do, you'll find out, and that soon. Take
your own course, and I'll take mine. If you are innocent, you'll not be
injured; if you are not, you'll get your deserts.'

Rust bit his lips at this quiet answer. 'Perhaps,' said he, in a low,
sneering tone, 'since you seem to be so anxious to pry into my conduct,
you may obtain more authentic information by applying to me in person;
and perhaps you will not object to make my misdeeds, of which you hint
so freely, known to _me_, who certainly am interested in learning what
they are.'

Harson drew Holmes to the other end of the room, where they whispered
together for some moments; after which, Holmes turned to Rust, and said:

'Your name, I think, is Michael Rust?'

'That _is_ my name,' replied Rust, bowing stiffly.

'And you accuse Mr. Harson of having endeavored to injure your
character?'

'I do,' replied Rust.

'Perhaps your memory may lead you astray, and his remarks and allusions
may refer to another than yourself.'

Michael Rust turned from him with a contemptuous smile; and then
tapping the letter with his finger, said: 'Ink never forgets. Henry
Harson and his friend may both vary their story, but this is always the
same, and the slanders once uttered against me _here_, are here still
unchanged and unsoftened.'

'Against _you_?' repeated Holmes. 'Read it again. _You_ are not even
mentioned in it.'

Rust glanced at it; and the lawyer thought that for a moment he
observed a change in his features. If so, it was but momentary; for he
answered in the same low tone, though perhaps with even more of a sneer:

'It was a trap, was it? Pah! a child could see through it! It alludes
to one _Henry Colton_. The charges are made against _him_. I'll save
you the trouble of farther manoeuvering to obtain information on that
point, by informing you that Henry Colton and Michael Rust are one.
I'll inform you too that you knew it before you came here. If you wish
it, I'll give you the same admission in writing.'

'I accept your offer,' said Holmes, quietly. 'There's paper,' said he,
pointing to the table; 'write it on that.'

Rust cast an angry glance at him, and seemed to hesitate; but he saw
that he was watched narrowly, and must not shrink. So he sat down and
scrawled something, which he pushed to Holmes.

Holmes read it over slowly: 'Alter _that_; the wording is not clear,'
said he, pointing out a paragraph which did not suit him.

Rust took up the pen and altered the phrase.

'Perhaps _that_ will do?' said he, again handing it to Holmes.

'That's just what I want,' replied the lawyer, running his eye over it,
and apparently weighing every word. 'But you are very forgetful. You
haven't signed it.'

Rust took the paper and signed his name to it. 'I hope you are
satisfied. I suppose you have me now,' said he, with a sneer.

'I think I _have_,' replied Holmes, folding up the paper, and putting
it in his pocket. 'Have you any farther remarks to make to Mr. Harson
or myself? What you have done has been of much service, and will save
us a great deal of trouble.'

'None,' replied Rust; 'I sent for _him_,' said he, pointing to Harson,
'to let him know that I was aware of his proceedings, and to warn him
that I was prepared to defend myself; and that if he persisted in his
attacks upon me, he would do so at his peril.'

'It is well,' said Holmes. 'It's frank in you, and no doubt Mr. Harson
feels grateful. And now that you have finished, perhaps you will listen
to a strange tale, which I am going to narrate to you. I wish you to
pay particular attention, as you may find it interesting. It's quite
romantic, but strictly true.'

'Once upon a time,' (that's the way stories begin, I think,) 'there
were two brothers living at a place far from this city; the names of
whom were George and Henry Colton. The former received a large property
from a distant relative; while the means of the latter were limited;
so much so, that but for the liberality of his elder brother, he would
have found it utterly impossible to live, in the style and manner in
which he always did and still is accustomed to live.'

'Well, Sir, does this refer to me?' said Rust; 'and if it does, and is
true, what then?'

'I have not finished,' replied Holmes. 'You shall hear the rest.
Shortly after the accession of George Colton to this property, he
married; but previous to doing so, to secure his brother against want,
he settled upon him property sufficient to produce him a handsome
income.'

'Well, Sir,' said Rust, 'what then?'

'You shall hear,' replied Holmes. 'By this marriage George Colton had
two children, who in the course of law would have inherited his entire
property, had they been living at the time of his death. These children
had reached the ages of two or three years, when they were lost in a
very singular manner. They had been left alone by their nurse, in a
room in their father's house; and when she returned, after the lapse
of a very few minutes, they were gone; and from that day to this
their parents have had no tidings of them. Search was made in every
direction; rewards were offered; persons were employed in all parts of
the country, and descriptions of the missing children were placarded
in every quarter. No one was more earnest and untiring in his efforts
to find them than Henry Colton, the younger brother; for he remembered
only his brother's past kindness; entirely forgetting, that if these
children were dead he would, in all probability, receive his brother's
vast property. But he was equally unsuccessful with the others. By
degrees, hope grew fainter, and the efforts of all, except this noble
younger brother, relaxed; but he travelled, wrote, had agents employed
in every direction, and, I am told, is still endeavoring to unravel
this mystery. And now,' said he, in a low, stern tone, 'shall I tell
you the reason why he failed? It was this. The agents employed by him
were put on a false scent; and although a high reward was offered for
the discovery of the children, a higher one was paid for keeping the
place of their concealment undiscovered. Shall I tell you,' added the
lawyer, in the same tone, 'who paid the bribe? That same noble Henry
Colton, the younger brother; and what's more, that same man sometimes
bore the name of Michael Rust. All this can be proved beyond the shadow
of a doubt, and will be, in a court of justice, if we are compelled to
do it.'

The lawyer paused, and looked Rust steadily in the face.

'Well, Sir,' said Rust, 'part of what you say is true. I know that the
children were lost, I know that I did what I could to find them. As
to the rest, it is false, and I care nothing for it. They are dead, I
fear.'

'Not quite,' replied Holmes. 'One of them is already rescued; so that
Michael Rust's hopes and schemes are thwarted; and his only chance to
escape the arm of the law is to give up the other, or to tell where he
is.'

Rust turned toward him, and looking him steadily in the face, said:
'Well, Sir, if this be true I'm glad of it; but if some designing
scoundrel is desirous of palming off his own brats on an honest man,
to swindle him out of his property, let him beware, lest he run his
legs into shackles. For my part, I've no doubt that the whole tale is
a fabrication of that old man's,' said he, pointing to Harson, 'got up
for no honest purpose.'

'That's false!' replied Holmes, sternly. 'Lie as you will; deny as
stoutly as you please; I tell you that what I have said is true, and
that you are the man.'

Rust grew deadly pale, but said nothing.

'And I tell you again,' said Holmes, in the same stern voice, 'that
your only hope of escaping punishment is in giving up the remaining
child, or in giving such information as may lead to his discovery. Do
that, and we will show you all the favor we can.'

'Nay, more,' added Harson. 'We will never let it be known what you had
to do with it. We'll let it be supposed that the children were stolen,
and found. We will keep it quiet, won't we, Ned?' said he, walking up
to the lawyer, and laying his hand on his shoulder.

'You've said so, and your promise must be kept,' replied Holmes. 'I
shouldn't have made it. But you must decide at once.'

Michael Rust had sat as still as a statue, merely turning his eyes from
one to the other, as they spoke.

'Have you done?' asked he, in a voice as quiet and composed as if the
threats just uttered had no reference to himself.

'You have heard all that we have to offer,' said Holmes.

'You're very kind,' replied Rust; 'you're _very_ kind; but you don't
_know_ Michael Rust. He accepts favors from no man. There, there--go!
He values your threats and promises alike; and neither the one nor
the other will turn him one inch from his own course, to aid you in
your dishonest purpose. It's against his conscience. Good morning. Our
interview is ended, I think. I'm sorry to see gray hairs so steeped in
depravity.'

'Michael Rust,' said Holmes, turning to him, 'you have sealed your own
doom. I'm glad you've rejected our offers, and I now withdraw them.
You're unworthy of them; and you shall have no other grace than what
the law extends to a felon.'

Rust bowed. 'You're kind. I shall not trouble you to repeat the offer.
As for the grace extended to felons, I believe there is a law which
makes a conspiracy to defraud, a felony likewise. It takes three to
make a conspiracy, in law; but I have no doubt you have abettors.
Perhaps you had better examine the matter. I wish you good morning,
gentlemen; I wish to be alone.'

Rust sat without moving, until the sound of their footsteps descending
the stairs was lost, and then he sprang to his feet.

'Now then,' exclaimed he, 'I know where I am! Now I can see where to
strike. Ha! ha! We'll see who conquers, Harry Harson or Michael Rust--a
desperate man, who has no alternative but to succeed or die. Ho! ho! I
know where the mine is to be sprung; and I will countermine!'

Listless, desponding, and irresolute as to his course, as he had been
before his interview with Harson, all trace of it had disappeared now.
He had decided upon the steps to be taken; and, desperate as they were,
he was not the man to hesitate. The anxiety which had borne him down,
disappeared as he ascertained the extent of his danger, and was able
to nerve himself to cope with it; and his manner was not only cheerful
but merry, and his eye shone with a self-confidence not unlike that of
a gladiator preparing for a conflict in which he or his adversary must
perish.

Lingering in his office only long enough to give his two visitors time
to get some distance off, he put on his hat, locked the door, placed
the key over it, so that Kornicker might know where to find it, and
sallied out into the street.




A LOVER'S RECOLLECTIONS.


  COULD'ST thou but know how dark and drear my days, though few, have past
  Since o'er my once light heart Despair his gloomy shadow cast;
  Without one joy to cheer me here, and not a hope on high,
  The only prayer I offer there, to be allowed to die;
  Could'st thou but know the anguish which my tortured hea

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