captured by the relentless renegade, and condemned to die by torture,

"Ere set of sun upon the morrow,"

unless, meanwhile, the city be surrendered. Envoys are despatched to announce the alternatives to Sebastian. A struggle between his affection to his son and his fidelity to his sovereign ensues, but is speedily decided in favour of the latter : he keenly rebukes the bearer of the dishonourable proposal, and remands them to Francesco with the offer, instead, of a ransom in gold of untold value. They declare its utter futility, and depart. Herodia, Sebastian's wife, with whom a mother's love is paramount, inclines to listen to the terms, and eagerly but idly entreats her sterner husband's acquiescence. She with Octavia her daughter, are present at this and the preceding scene, where, as yet ignorant of Francesco's ruthless resolution, and confident in the redeeming power of wealth, they collect their respective stores of jewellery to swell the sum, furnishing a conjuncture so well conceived and so justly managed that, had we space, we would gladly yield to the temptation and transcribe it. Ricardos, an officer of note among the besieged, but in heart a traitor, having been rejected in his suit for Octavia's hand, resolves to apply this crisis to his benefit; and, after an unsuccessful interview with his mistress, in which he seeks to engage her to his wishes, in the event of his saving her brother's life, passes to Francesco's camp, and pledges himself to betray the town forthwith, if assured of the surrender of Octavia to what are now the united

He

cravings of his passion and his pride. As the renegade is readily closing with the conditions, they are broken in upon by Herodia, who, foiled in her efforts to overcome her husband's fidelityfor the breach of which the clamours of the starving townsmen might supply a ready pretext-now hastens to Francesco to try the power of a mother's eloquence in behalf of Claudio. still, however, abides by his former terms, and, working on the love and terror of a distracted parent, at length engages her in Ricardos' compact, on the warrant of life and safety to herself and friends; and, in proof, transfers his signet. She is now admitted to Claudio's prison; but their interview, though dramatic enough, possesses, nevertheless, considerably less power than pretension. Simultaneously with this, Sebastian, with a body of veterans, resolves to attempt a rescue of his son by night, or, failing in that, reap his revenge at least. Francesco is apprised of his intention by a spy, and, benefiting by his absence, through the aid of Ricardos, enters the town, and closes the gate upon its governor. Sebastian discovers his error, and,

"like a lion from his den Shut out, and snuffing strangers in his lair,"

speedily returns, and, furiously assaulting the gate, while the Moorish force is galled by the remaining garrison within, happily regains an entrance. The renegade rallies his routed troops before the Cathedral, and he and Sebastian meet each other face to face. The following describes the circumstances of their encounter :

Seb. Repent!

(Dies.)

Sebastian expires immediately after, happily unconscious of the frailty of his wife, who just then re-enters on the scene. Her heart, however, is broken by the united shock of reflection and, present horror, and vainly soothed by her children, she soon breathes her last by her husband's corpse.

A perusal of the original, to which our notice may invite, will satisfy the reader that it possesses conjunctures of high dramatic point and excellence, and that-if common sense may intrude upon the mysteries of management fitly represented, it would tell with unequivocal and retributive effect. The whole, doubtless, would require supervision by the eye of experience to pro

duce that adaptation in minor matters without which intrinsic merit, as we often see, is crippled in its power; but this done, as usual in such cases, we entertain no doubt of a favourable result.

Faults and failings of serious moment in microscopic eyes, as well as such as are worthy of more candid reprehension, might unquestionably be adduced; but, agreeing in the main with Swift, that "Criticism, contrary to other faculties of the intellect, is generally the truest and the best when it is the first result of the critic's mindas fowlers reckon the first aim for the surest, and seldom miss the mark if they stay not for the second," we gladly allow ourselves to be swayed, unmolested, by our primary impression.

To give any thing like a detailed argument of this metrical romance, or "novel in rhyme," as the author not unfitly denominates it, would, with our

limitations, be impracticable, so numerous, adventitious, and diversified are its incidents and episodes. Revelling in a limitless and most attractive range,

he soon wearies of the harassing restrictions of regular scheme, and, letting his fancy away upon the wing, freely follows as she leads, wherever caprice, or chance, or charm decides, as his easy and ever-shifting pages testify.

"Sicut aqnæ tremulum labris ubi lumen ahenis Sole repercussum, aut radiantis imagine lunæ, Omnia pervelitat late loca, jamque sub auras Erigitur, suminique ferit laquearia tecti.”

But what by a more methodical structure the author might have gained in dignity and condensation, we think we call gather from his genius he would have lost in fluency and ease; and we are content, therefore, to receive his wild fertility and graceful abandon in lieu of the more orderly, but tamer attractions he might otherwise have conferred. A slender warp of fact is, however, at intervals, introduced, with the aim of imparting a historical prestige, while it is yet so interwoven with the rich and many-coloured weft of fiction, as to combine therewith the peculiar charins and picturesqueness of irregular romance. It purports to be a tale of the chivalrous times of the Seventh Crusade, or that of the renowned St. Louis, who, shining alike in valour and in virtue, is, with other names well known to story, incidentally introduced, so as to bestow an air of verity and elevation, and a glow of brightness on the poem. noble youth of our own green isle the epitome of all that is admirable in knightly excellence and manly piety is the hero; and serves against the infidels with the Earl of Salisbury and other illustrious English volunteers, who seek that fame under the chivalric St. Louis, from the pursuit of which their own less aspiring sovereign had withdrawn.

Albert-a

reclaimed from her evil creed by Anselm, a holy monk, becomes the affianced love of her deliverer, and the interesting heroine of the romance. True to the faith of her adoption, and the love of Albert, she incurs the vindictive fury of her relatives and former suitor, is artfully seized on and carried off by the latter, dauntlessly followed by her Christian lover in disguise; and out of their ever-varying adventures in captivity and in freedom, in sunshine and in shade, in separation and communion, the author has wrought bis rich mosaic-illustrated, too, by scattered sketches of Egypt's storied scenery, which are most graceful, and of her everlasting and stupendous monuments, which are, perhaps necessarily, defective, and as good as, under the circumstances, we are entitled to expect. But yet the strain of the whole is not suited to the present period: it is behind the time" in its appearance: the public taste has moved from the point at which it especially—and, we tell with its ancient power, and will grieve to add, poetry in general-could not be arrested but by the united radiance of such another constellation

66

66

of "Shining Ones" as even the young among us has beheld; though now, alas! the brightest have left their spheres, and those remaining become faint and The glimmering in their loneliness. author of "Selma," however, if we judge him rightly, is one to whom poetry has been its own 'exceeding chill reception of his efforts, as one great reward,'" and will not reck a more laborious and less favoured might. The song "free from a minstrel spirit lung" will surely well repay itself, though there be none to extol its excellence; as he who awakes his harp in solitude is rewarded by as rich a harmony as if the admiration of thousands rested on his strain.

As a specimen of the style, we subjoin a few passages, selected, not so much on account of their relative superiority, as their easy separation from the context :

VOL. XIV.

N