12. The young Duke, his visor raised, contemplated the fallen foes in silence. Then dismounting, he unbraced with his own hand the Earl's helmet. Revived for a moment by the air, the hero's eyes unclosed, his lips moved, he raised, with a feeble effort, the gory battleaxe, and the armed crowd recoiled in terror. But the Earl's soul, dimly conscious, and about to part, had escaped from that scene of strife-its later thoughts of wrath and vengeance-to more gentle memories, to such memories as fade the last from true and manly hearts. "Wife! child!" murmured the Earl, indistinctly. "Anne! Anne! Dear ones! God comfort ye!" And with these words the breath went; the head fell heavily on its mother earth; the face set, calm and undisturbed, as the face of a soldier should be, when a brave death has been worthy of a brave life.17 SPELL AND GIVE THE MEANING cavalry, horse-soldiers. insen'sible, void of feeling. arch'er, one who shoots with a bow. am'bush, a place of waiting or hiding. squire, the attendant on a knight. con'summating, perfecting. scanty, few. simulta'neous, at one time. exclama'tion, cry. clarion, a shrill trumpet. death'smen, a pompous word for despoiled', here, awanting. commem'orate, to preserve the igno'ble, the opposite of noble. fal'chion, a crooked sword. brunt, lit., the burning, the heat, intensity. irresist'ible, that cannot be resisted. vulgar, common. assail'ants, those attacking. assoil', absolve, pardon. casque, helmet. mute, silent. contem'plate, to look on carnestly. recoiled', drew back. part, here, to die. unbrace', to loosen. NOTES. 1 Oxford, the Earl of Oxford. 2 bills, the bill was a weapon consisting of a broad blade with a cutting edge; the one side bent like a scythe; a sharp spear point projecting from the other side and from the top. This was fixed on a long staff. 3 Somerset, the Duke of Somer: et Exeter, the Duke of Exeter. 5 Montagu, Lord Montagu, more frequently called the Marquis of Montacute, was the Earl of Warwick's brother. "Edward, Edward the 4th. Agincourt, fought A.D. 1415. 8 destrier, a French term for a charger. 9 Towton, a battle fought between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists in 1461. The former were de feated. 10 Malech, Warwick's horse. 11 Gloucester, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard 1II. 12 This line is mere fiction. Our civilization is in every way better than the savagery of Warwick's day. 13 Clarence, the Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. and the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of Warwick's son-in-law. 14 Pontefract, Edward IV. had been compelled to leave England in 1470 in consequence of a successful rising of the Earl of Warwick in favour of the deposed monarch, Henry VI., then prisoner in the Tower. Landing at Ravenspur, in Yorkshire, however, a few months after, with money and troops obtained from the Duke of Burgundy, he managed to enter York, by making promises he never intended to keep, and then commenced his march southwards. Montagu at this time held Pontefract, but allowed Edward to pass without any attempt to check his progress. 15 This sentence is an example of inflated and false writing. Bulwer was far from a correct writer. 16 This is an example of exaggerated style, to be carefully avoided. A hundred axes could not have got near the casque. 17 Warwick, a powerful Earl, had once and again, turned the course of the civil wars, now supporting one side, now another. He was killed at the Battle of Barnet, in 1471. His fall, and that of other feudal barons, helped on the liberty of England. THE ARETHUSA.-PRINCE HOARE. (End of last century.) COME, all ye jolly sailors bold, Whose hearts are cast in honour's mould While English glory I unfold, Huzza for the Arethusa ! She is a frigate tight and brave As ever stemmed the dashing wave; Her men are staunch To their favourite launch; And when the foe shall meet our fire "Twas with old Keppel she went out, The famed Belle Poule straight ahead did lie; Not a sheet or a tack, Or a brace did she slack: Though the Frenchmen laugh'd and thought it stuff, But they knew not the handful of men how tough On board of the Arethusa. On deck five hundred foes did dance, Our captain hail'd the Frenchman, "Ho!" To our admiral's lee." "No, no," says the Frenchman, "that can't be." "Then I must lug you along with me," Says the saucy Arethusa. The fight was off the Frenchman's land, And since we've driven the foe ashore, To his favourite lass: A health to our captain, our officers too, THE BATTLE OF THE NILE.-SOUTHEY. (For a Notice of Southey, see page 58.) 1. THE Battle of the Nile was fought between the English fleet, under Lord Nelson, and the French fleet, under Admiral Brueys. The French fleet arrived at Alexandria on the first of July, 1798, and Admiral Brueys, not being able to enter the port, which time and neglect had ruined, moored the ships in Aboukir Bay, in a strong and compact line of battle; the headmost vessel, according to his own account, being as close as possible to a shoal on the north-west, and the rest of the fleet forming a kind of curve along the line of deep water, so as not to be turned by any means in the south-west. 2. The advantage of numbers, both in ships, guns, and men, was in favour of the French. They had thirteen ships of the line and four frigates, carrying 1,196 guns, and 11,230 men. The English had the same number of ships of the line, and one fifty-gun ship, carrying 1,012 guns, and 8,068 men. The English ships were all seventyfours: the French had three eighty-gun ships, and one three-decker of one hundred and twenty. 3. During the whole pursuit it had been Nelson's practice, whenever circumstances would permit, to have his captains on board the Vanguard, and explain to them his own ideas of the different and best modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed to execute on falling in with the enemy, whatever their situation might be. There is no possible position, it is said, which he did not take into consideration. His officers were thus fully acquainted with his principles of tactics; and such was his confidence in their abilities, that the only thing determined upon, in case they should find the French at anchor, was for the ships to form as most convenient for their mutual support, and to anchor by the stern. "First gain your victory," he said, "and then make the best use of it you can." The moment he perceived the position of the French, that intuitive genius with which Nelson was endowed displayed itself; and it instantly struck him that where there was room for an enemy's ship to swing there was room for one of ours to anchor. The plan which he intended to pursue, therefore, was to keep entirely on the outer side of the French line, and station his ships, as far as he was able, one on the outer bow and another on the outer quarter of each of the enemy's. Captain Berry, when he comprehended the scope of the design, exclaimed with transport, "If we succeed, what will the world say?" "There is no if in the case," replied the admiral; "that we shall succeed is certainwho may live to tell the story, is a very different question." 4. As the squadron advanced, it was assailed by a shower of shot and shell from the batteries on the island, and the enemy opened a steady fire from the starboard side of their whole line, within half gunshot distance, full into the bows of our van ships. It was received in silence; the men on board every ship were employed aloft in furling sails, and below in tending the braces, and making ready for anchoring;-a miserable sight for |