Thus we talked, and in full enjoyment of peace, youth, and health, we proceeded homewards, only stopping now and then to pick up a beautiful shell, which lay in our way; till we arrived at the vessel, a little after sunset. Too tired to make tea, we regaled ourselves with a little wine and water and some biscuit; and then kneeling down in the presence of God, rendered to him that which is justly due,-the sacrifice of praise and prayer and thanksgiving; and retired to rest.” The Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society Delineated. Published with the Sanction of the Council, and under the Superintendence of the Secretary and Vice-Secretary of the Society. Vols. I. and II. 8vo. Pp. 308, 328. London. Charles Tilt. and indigestible.' Looking round me, I observed that, | completing my work, as it was already in far progress. by the process of time on the wild vegetation, the soil had become pretty good about the cocoa-nut grove; so we decided on putting in some of our seeds there, in a day or two. We again descended to the beach, and bent our course observingly along to the northward, skirting the sandy isthmus on the west. Not far from its termination we arrived at a low sandy point, to the right of which, as we stood on it, with our faces to the lake, was a small bay; at the bottom of which rose a steep rock, projecting into the water, with a bold front directly opposite to us. The west side of this bay curved out also into a rocky point at the extremity; while its gradual slope, beautifully wooded down to the water's edge, rose somewhat abruptly, at a little distance from the shore; exhibiting from thence a thick forest, covering the lofty hills that formed the remote background. We stood awhile admiring this new scenery, rendered more interesting by the evolutions of a flock of sea gulls (those inThe Editor modestly announces that his work is inhabitants of every sea!) in pursuit of the small fish, leap. tended to co-operate with the excellent institution of the ing and sparkling in the bay even close to the beach. Zoological Gardens, in promoting a love of natural bisIt was but a short walk to the bold rock in the bosom tory, and diffusing more correct notions concerning it. of the bay; and we proceeded to it, much amused with In our opinion, it is entitled to higher praise than merely Fidele trying to catch the sprats or anchovies, or what- saying, this object has been accomplished. Many species ever they were, that swarmed upon the coast. of birds and beasts are here described accurately from rereached the rock, which appeared to be forty or fifty feet peated observations for the first time. The plan of pubhigh; but, as it projected perpendicularly into deep water, lication, which is, we believe, to issue a volume as often there was no passing it; so we sat down upon a large as the increasing wealth of the Zoological Society affords stone near its base, glad to rest ourselves. When a little a sufficient stock of imperfectly known animals, forbids cooled from our exercise, we took a draught of water a scientific arrangement, but to each volume there is apfrom our canteen, which we found grateful and refresh-pended a systematic Index. Of the illustrations-drawn ing. Our eyes were now instantly arrested by our own noble promontory, which stood right over against us, distant about three miles to the south. We both exclaimed at once, What a magnificent object it is! The loftiest summit, immediately over our vessel, appeared to be at least 300 or 400 feet high; while the lower part to the westward, where the cave is situated, looked like a rugged chasm. Beyond that, further again to the west, the cliff rose, in a conical form, to at least 250 feet. The highest summit seemed entirely naked But this hill was wooded to the top, and, by its figure and verdure, associated with the image of the cool spring at its foot, and the commanding aspect of its more barren neighbour, altogether presented a picture of great grandeur and beauty. of trees. We soon We recog "After resting a reasonable time, we determined to cross the isthmus, (and return by the eastern beach,) which extended about half a mile to a projecting low rocky point, the very point on which the brig nearly struck, soon after her release from the reef! nised it by its relative situation to the reef beyond it; and then called to mind that we had seen a rivulet on what was then its further side. When recommencing our walk, we observed that the sand in our immediate direction produced some vegetation; and that further back to the northward, there were bushes, and then trees. We kept on the edge of the fertile ground, having found our steps impeded by the shrubs and other plants; and in about a quarter of an hour, we were on the eastern side of the isthmus, having had a beautiful silvan bank all the way on our left. On surveying the spot, I could not but reflect how fit a place it was for such seeds as required a full tropical sun, free from all shade; and made the remark to my wife. That may be, dear Edward!' replied she, anxiously; but you have only one pair of hands, and have already chalked out so much work for yourself, that I really am afraid you will fall sick from fatigue. I wish,' added she, tenderly pressing my arm, I had never thought of the tent on the ridge! making it is so very laborious, and takes up so much time which might be employed in the seeds, that I think you had better desist from finishing it for the present.' I thanked her affectionately for her solicitude; but told her I did not like vacillating, and that I would not delay by Harvey, and engraved by Branston and Wright—we cannot speak too highly. For accurate resemblance, life, character, and beautiful execution, they are every thing that could be wished. The culs-de-lampe are all elegant; many of them evince a high feeling of art, and many a fine perception of the charm of mingled playfulness and beauty. In what manner the literary department of the work is executed, the reader may be able to judge after perusing the description of the Chinchillas-that delicate little creature to which our fair friends are indebted for some of their most costly ornaments. "The earliest account of the chinchilla with which we have met is contained in Father Joseph Acosta's Natural and Moral History of the East and West Indies, published at Barcelona, in Spanish, in the year 1591. From an English translation of this work, printed at London in 1604, we extract the following sentence, which is all that relates to the animal in question:'The chinchilles is another kind of small beasts, like squirrels; they have a wonderfull smoothe and soft skinne, which they weare as a healthfull thing to comfort the stomacke, and those parts that have neede of a moderate heate; [as most beasts' do; but the concluding part of the extract shows that this is spoken of the human natives, and not of the poor chinchillas themselves;] they make coverings and rugges of the haire of these chinchilles, which are found on the Sierre of Peru.' "We find these animals again mentioned, and nearly to the same purpose, in The Observations of Sir Richard Hawkins, knight, in his Voyage into the South Sea, an. dom. 1593,' published at London in a small folio, in the year 1622, and reprinted, three years afterwards, in the fourth part of Purchas his Pilgrims.' This hardy and adventurous seaman appears, notwithstanding the somewhat contemptuous manner in which he speaks of the princes and nobles' that 'laie waite' for these skins, to have been much of the same opinion with regard to their superior quality and comfort. It is worthy of remark, that he treats them not as wool, in which light Acosta seems to have regarded them, but as fur. 'Amongst others,' he says-showing, by the by, as little respect for the niceties of grammar as the translator above quoted- they have little beastes, like unto a squir rell, but that hee is grey, his skinne is the most delicate | questionable evidence of their distinctness. “The chinchilla,” says Molina, "is another species of field-rat, in great estimation for the extreme fineness of its wool, if a rich fur as delicate as the silken webs of the garden spiders may be so termed. It is of an ash-grey, and sufficiently long for spinning. The little animal which produces it is six inches long from the nose to the root of the tail, with small pointed ears, a short muzzle, teeth like the house-rat, and a tail of moderate length, clothed with a delicate fur. It lives in burrows underground, in the open country of the northern provinces of Chili, and is very fond of being in company with others of its species. It feeds upon the roots of various bulbous plants which grow abundantly in those parts; and produces twice a-year five or six young ones. It is so docile and mild in temper, that if taken into the hands it neither bites nor tries to escape; but seems to take a pleasure in being caressed. If placed in the bosom, it remains there as still and quiet as if it were in its own nest. This extraordinary placidity may possibly be rather due to its pusillanimity, which renders it extremely timid. As it is in itself peculiarly cleanly, there can be no fear of its soiling the clothes of those who handle it, or of its communicating any bad smell to them, for it is entirely free from that ill odour which characterizes the other species of rats. For this reason, it might well be kept in the houses with no annoyance and at a trifling expense, which would be abundantly repaid by the profits on its wool. The ancient Peruvians, who were far more industrious than the modern, made of this wool coverlets for beds and valuable stuffs." This organ, which, in the Tame Swan, passes directly from the neck into the cavity of the chest without forming any previous convolution, enters in the Wild species an appropriate cavity in the keel of the breastbone, within which it passes to a considerable depth, then returns upwards, and is again inflected over the edge of the sternum before plunging into the chest. Ray was the first to point out this marked distinction between the two birds, which had previously been regarded as doubtful species. It was neglected, however, by later naturalists, and even Buffon and Linnæus were inclined to consider them as mere varieties; but in these days, when the importance of anatomical characters is fully recognised, they are universally allowed to be distinct. "Aldrovandus, who was the first to observe the striking inflections of the windpipe in the Wild Swan, but without being aware of the difference in that respect between it and the Tame, regarded this peculiar structure as a confirmation of the old opinion, that the Swan possessed a melodious voice with which, on the approach of death, it performed its own funeral dirge. This story, as far as regards the harmony of its voice, has frequently been revived; but those who have had the best opportunities of hearing the monotonous sounds which the Wild Swans actually produce, are universally agreed in discrediting it as an altogether imaginary fable. We have ourselves frequently listened to them in the Gardens of the Society on fine evenings in the summer time, and could not but agree with Hearne in regarding the noise which they made as not very unlike that of a French horn, but entirely divested of every note that constitutes melody.' M. de Bomare compares it, with equal felicity, to the sound of two small children's trumpets, and declares that if any modern writer pretends that the Swan has a melodious voice, he deserves to be compared with the blind man of Cheselden, who had no other idea of the colour of scarlet than that which was suggested by the sound of a trumpet." useful. "To the account of its habits given by Molina we can only add that it usually sits upon its haunches, and is even able to raise itself up and stand upon its hinder feet. "The Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological SoIt feeds in a sitting posture, grasping its food and convey-ciety" is a book at once solid and entertaining, elegant and ing it to its mouth by means of its fore paws. In its temper it is generally mild and tractable, but it will not always suffer itself to be handled without resistance, and sometimes bites the hand which attempts to fondle it when not in a humour to be played with. "Although a native of the alpine valleys of Chili, and consequently subjected in its own country to the effects of a low temperature of the atmosphere, against which its thick coat affords an admirable protection, it was thought necessary to keep it during the winter in a moderately warm room, and a piece of flannel was even introduced into its sleeping apartment for its greater comfort. But this indulgence was most pertinaciously rejected, and as often as the flannel was replaced, so often was it dragged by the little animal into the outer compartment of its cage, where it amused itself with pulling it about, rolling it up and shaking it with its feet and teeth. In other respects it exhibits but little playfulness, and gives few signs of activity; seldom disturbing its usual quietude by any sudden or extraordinary gambols, but occasionally displaying strong symptoms of alarm when startled by any unusual occurrence. It is, in fact, a remarkably tranquil and peaceable animal, unless when its timidity gets the better of its gentleness." It is melancholy to reflect how many of our fairest dreams of boyhood are doomed to fade into the light of common day. Upon us scribblers, this law of nature operates with peculiar severity. With what face can we ever speak of a swan-like end, now that we have read what follows! "Not to speak of the difference in the number of their ribs, which are twelve in the Wild Swan, and eleven only in the Tame, their trachea or windpipes afford un Pin Money; a Novel. By the authoress of "The Manners of the Day." In three volumes. London. Colburn and Bentley. WE are not particular admirers of the sentimental domestic novel, still less of the fashionable novel; and we are rather at a loss what to think of a novel which, like the present, is a compound of both. We certainly do not go so far as Mrs Gore in its praise; still less do we incline to agree with those who utterly condemn it. The danger of this kind of reading lies only in its excess. So, after all, we may leave the question where it is, at present, most suitably placed-in the limbo of vanity, waiting for some person to discuss it who has nothing better to do; and spare our readers a mortal column of the solemn didactic, which they would in all probability skip. We should, we know, were we in their place. Mrs Gore is a woman of superior talent, that is already admitted on all hands. Her novel has a story in it, but the narrative never was our forte. We have positively, therefore, nothing left us to say of Pin Money, except that it is a very readable book, and we accordingly betake us as quickly as we can to the making of extracts. What follows is a clever picture of the ménage of a small would-be statesman :- "It is not to be supposed that a wholesale and retail dealer in Parliament could have fixed his domicile in any other parish than that of St Margaret, Westminster; and Sir Brooke accordingly found himself driven to the entrance of a paved court-an old-fashioned cul-de-sacwhose heavy architraves of carved wood-work, narrow windows, and ostensible roofing of red tile, formed a m "It is to be hoped that the courteous reader of these memoirs has formed no expectation of hearing what it was that Mr Lexley thought fit to utter, when he found himself alone,' with his friend Sir Brooke, and the two dumb waiters. The mysteries of Isis are more rigidly sacred in our sight, than those occasionally transacted in the parish of St Margaret; and if the process which suf An excellent pendant to this picture offers itself in the Lady Olivia Tadcaster, one of your everlastingly bustling penny-wise and pound-foolish persons ;— "Fortunately for Frederica, the attention of Lady Olivia was wholly diverted from her embarrassment by the appearance of a dish of coquilles aux huitres in the second course,-giving rise to one of her monitory discussions. "A mysterious-looking, middle-aged man, with speckled stockings, powdered hair, and a slight hint of a pig-ficed to render our estimable Rawleigh sole representatail, who might have been indiscriminately taken for a tive of the respectable borough of Martwich, should ever butler, a clerk, or a secretary, circumspectly ushered the chance to be betrayed to posterity, so indiscreet a revelaexpected guest into his master's study, with a whispered tion shall never be traced to our pages. We prefer adassurance that Mr Lexley would shortly make his ap-journing from Mr Lexley's second course, to the dinner pearance, having probably been detained at the House; in Charles Street." and Sir Brooke, as he gazed around the uninviting chamber, could not but feel that he should be very unwilling to adopt the habits of life of this active servant of the country, in assuming a similar weight of Parliamentary responsibility. He examined the tall, dark, spider-legged mahogany writing-table, spotted with much ink, and indented with severe penmanship; the unsightly bookcases filled with vellum-bound folios, and buff-leather quartos, (REPORTS, from vol. 1. to vol. DXXVIII.,)—and a ragged regiment of loose and unconnected pamphlets; the chimney-piece graced with two dusty glas girandoles, and a museum of printed and wafered circulars, addressed by divers clerkly hands, to "John Lexley, Esq. M. P."till his mind involuntarily reverted to his snug library at Rawleighford, Morel-and-Seddonized into the utmost refinement of literary ease, and musky with Russia leather!-its scattered memoranda collected under the paper-weights of Vulliamy's choicest bronze, and its artificial light distributed by reading-lamps and shaded candles, such as might have assisted Methuselah, or old Parr, to decipher a diamond edition, without spectacles! "After the miserable solitude of a quarter of an hour passed in a retreat presenting few extraneous attractions to divert the attention of its owner from the dry details to which he saw fit to devote his existence, a hurried rap announced Mr Lexley's return, and having accosted his punctual guest with an incoherent explanation touching the lateness of the division, the harassed member alluded to the necessity of washing those hands, the cleanliness of which had been so much lauded by Sir Brooke to Frederica, and rushed up the creaking stairs in his usual flurry of superfluous activity. "I was quite surprised to learn from my sister the other day, that she had her oysters from Grove!—As if any one in their senses ever dreamed of purchasing oysters from a fishmonger!' "Who, then, ought to furnish them ;-the baker? enquired Sir Brooke, who partook, in some slight degree, of his aunt Derenzy's predilection for domestic details. Do you "It is a trade in itself,' replied Lady Olivia,'swallowing an oyster with an air of infinite contempt. imagine that a real gastronome, in Paris, would eat an oyster from any other hands than those of the shell-fish merchant who sits on the stairs at the Rocher de Can cale?' "In Paris;-but we who reside in London, are com pelled to forego that luxury. Martin, who supplies as with oysters?' enquired Sir Brooke of his butler; who had fixed his eyes upon Lady Olivia with all the abhorrence which upper servants are apt to cherish against visitors who give both trouble and advice. "Taylor of Piccadilly, Sir Brooke.' "Take away my plate!' cried Lady Olivia, indignantly; I would as soon swallow my own kid gloves, as oysters which have been swimming without their "Rawleigh, who was now growing hungry and frac-shells all the morning in a fishmonger's brown pipkin of tious, was right glad when at length he found himself cold water.' 66 6 seated opposite to his host at the dinner-table, with a tu- "Why it stands to reason that their flavour must evareen of very diaphanous mock-turtle, and a dish of flac-porate,' observed Sir Brooke, pushing away his own; cid salmon, smothered in horse-radish, and surrounded Lady Rawleigh is too inexperienced a housekeeper to by some smelts, of the consistency of cuttle-fish, standing enter into these details at present. Your ladyship must between them. As soon as he had in some degree apbe generous enough to assist her with your advice.' peased his appetite with these uninviting provisions, Why, I will tell you exactly how I manage,' said which Mr Lexley announced to be bachelor's fare,' or Lady Olivia, who had now arrived at the point she depot-luck,' or some other apologetic designation of a sired. There is a young man lately set up in business filthy dinner, Sir Brooke, on casting his eyes around him, at Harwich, who formerly lived as valet with poor dear perceived that a well-stored dumb waiter was placed near Mr Tadcaster, and whom I consider it my duty to pahis host, and another within his own reach, and that no tronise. I have given him a commission to supply me sooner had the mysterious butler placed upon the board two once a-week during the season; and I will get a frank tobottles of sherry, a saddle of rancid mutton, a haycock of night at Axiom's, and write to him to-morrow to send a mashed potatoes, and a tepid salad, than he with- supply to you at the same time. Your establishment is drew from attendance-closing the door as charily after larger than mine, so that you will require double the him as if either his master, or his master's guest, were quantity.' labouring under a concussion of the brain. It was evident that he was familiarly trained to the business-like privacy of Mr Lexley's confidential dinners. "And now, my dear sir, we are alone!' said Lexley, in an opening phrase, twisting, as he spoke, his long throat over his shoulder, like that of an ill-trussed ptarmigan, to ascertain that his cup-bearer had left the room. Unconsciously the awe-struck baronet followed his scrutinizing glance, and began to feel that there was something inexpressibly awful in all these mysterious preparations for secrecy. Nothing was wanting but Miss Kelly, to render the scene a perfect mele-drame! negatively. Oysters are already out of season,' said Frederica, "And once a-week!' cried Sir Brooke ;-' surely it is better to depend upon Taylor for a daily supply?' I "By sending the barrels round by Doddingham, which is not above eight or ten miles out of the way, get them brought at a very reasonable rate by an errandcart kept by a cousin of my own maid's. It is not many days on the road, and the carter is a trustworthy man, who may be relied on.'" For once in our lives we are tempted to admit a scene of fashionable life into our columns, and here it is: "It was very amusing to observe the air of maternal protection assumed by this ancient lady towards many of her acquaintance among the grisly dowagers; who-being by ten years her own juniors-she regarded as young creatures, requiring her chaperonage as much as when it first ushered them into the coteries of the Marchioness of Rockingham, or of the old Princess Amelia. In many a withered fold and wrinkle Lady Derenzy still beheld its original dimple, and saw nothing but the glossiness of their long lost tresses in the frizzed toupees of many a faded brow; the immobility of rheumatic joints she mistook for an air of languor-and the trembling of palsied heads for the mincing of a coquettish demeanour. Whenever Frederica could disengage her own attention from the assiduities of which she was the object on every side, and from the affectionate greetings of various branches of her own noble and extensive family, she could not but overhear snatches of the singular colloquies which arose between her venerable companion and certain of her superannuated contemporaries, whose horrifically spectral appearance would have entered into admirable partnership with that of the phantom king of Denmark on the bastions of Elsineur. And as she listened to their courtly croakings, she thought of the three awful 'cummers' assembled on the grave-stones of Ravenswood church, in the tale of the Bride of Lammermoor; of which the conclave of these ghastly antiques in velvet, with diamonds glimmering like sepulchral lamps beside their effigies, might have afforded a parody. "Saw you ever a more crowded drawingroom?' whispered Countess Ronthorst to the old dowager Duchess of Trimblestown. "Crowded-umph!' mumbled her grace, with a scowl that gleamed beneath her shaggy brows, like the glittering eyes of a wild beast in the depths of some horrid cave overhung with brambles. Crowded like the hustings at Covent Garden, and almost as noisy.-People admitted who would be rejected from the long parlour at the Easter dinner. It was not so in the queen's time; it all arises from the want of female presidency,-Faugh!' "How haggard Lady Rochester is beginning to look!' whispered Lady Lavinia Lisle to Countess Ronthorst. Between ourselves, they say she has had repeated paralytic warnings, from the effects of the white lead with which she has been stuccoing her face for the last twenty years.' 666 Say rather from the effects of the elixir de Garus, with which she has been poisoning her system for the last ten. Women who begin at twenty to take eau de Cologne dropped on sugar whenever they feel out of spirits, are seldom out of spirits at fifty-five. Lady Rochester's nécessaire has more rosolio and alkermès in its crystal flasks, than eau de Ninion, or bouquet des dames!" observed Lady Derenzy, joining the scandalous parliament. "O fie!' said Lady Lavinia, affecting girlish incredulity, yet refraining from any vivacious demonstrations, lest she should unsettle the factitious tresses which adorned her parchment forehead. One should not even know of such things!' "A very comprehensive word, my dear duchess!' said Countess Ronthorst spitefully. 666 "I do not believe she has ever strayed out of the peerage.' "Oh! fie!' cried Lady Lavinia again, giving a playful tap with her spangled fan to the withered sticks shrunken within the spreading velvet sleeve of the Duchess of Trimblestown. "What creatures one sees here, now-a-days!' said Lady Derenzy with a sneer, the acrid influence of which might have tarnished the gold lace upon old Lord Twadells regimentals, who stood beside her, which were cut after the fashion of those of the great Marquis of Granby on a signpost. 'Yonder gaunt-looking woman, bristled like the crest of William de la Mark and covered with jewels, is the daughter of Lord Waldinghurst's steward.' "But with your ladyship's permission, if I may venture an opinion on a point where your ladyship is in all probability so very much better informed,' said Lord Twaddell,-emphasizing with his well-powdered head, till the white particles flew in all directions, and the duchess's velvet appeared to have taken multure in kind from his floury abundance,—that lady is now the much-respected wife of one of our most eminent law-lords.' "Law-lords!-Birmingham nobility!' cried Countess Ronthorst, the naturalized widow of a former Austrian Ambassador, whose quarterings would have agonized Sir Isaac Heard, and required all the skill of the Ratisbon College or Toison d'or to emblazon. 'I do not see why the Courts of Chancery and Common Pleas should serve as antechambers to the Court of St James's!' "I saw my chaplain and my physician bowing to each other on the stairs,' said Lady Derenzy, like two rooks noddling their heads in a ploughed field.' "The learned professions, ladies-the learned professions,' cried Lord Twadell, inflating each word till it swelled out of his crater-like mouth, like one of Giroux's balloons,— the learned professions form a distinct class of the community, commanding the respect of enlightened persons of-all-of—of-of-all-classes of the community.' "Class is a word obliterated from all vocabularies but those of school-ushers,-Scotch gardeners, and political economists. One hears of " the labouring classes," in an emigration pamphlet at Edinburgh, and of "la classe industrielle," in the oration of a libéral in Paris; |—but in London, the only distinction I ever perceive in its rabble-rout is that which exists between those who buy and those who sell.-Such are the "classes of the community,” in la nation boutiquiére.' "There ought to be a Pict's wall built up to defend us against the incursions of such hordes of barbarians,' said the duchess, with a dry, short, hectic cough, indicating that the armorial honours of the escutcheon on which she prided herself, would very shortly adorn a hatchment over the lofty portals of Trimblestown House, and that her bony and unhumanized frame was destined without delay to darkness and the worm !'-' I would sooner see every descendant of my house stretched in their grave, than disgraced by a commercial alliance. It is the pride of my life that not one of my four daughters was allowed to marry lower than an earldom.' "A soapboiler?' cried the duchess, feeling for her salts. "Of the celebrated firm of Waddlestone and Co.' said Lord Twadell, closing his snuff-box with a jerk of disdain. "Waddlestone!' faintly ejaculated her grace. "Waddlestone!' cried Countess Ronthorst. "Waddlestone!' exclaimed Lady Derenzy, as if the word blistered her lips. "Waddlestone!' said Lord Twadell, affirmatively. "Wad-dle-stone!' minced Lady Lavinia. "Waddlestone!' cried Lady Huntingfield, puffing up to the scene. "Waddlestone !' uttered a chorus of abhorrent voices." Those who wish sentiment and delicate embarrass ments (there are plenty of both in the book, for Mrs Gore aspires to be the Miss Austin of fashionable life), may seek them in the work itself. Our nerves are at present unequal to the task. MISCELLANEOUS LITERATURE. THE FLOWER-GATHERER. THE SONG OF THE NIEBELUNGEN. To judge by its language, this poem must be coeval with the best of the Minnesänger. Its theme, however, is of a much earlier date-belonging to the times of Attila the Hun, and the subversion of the Burgundian kingdom. It is an epic-or rather two epics, bearing a relation as intimate as the Iliad and Odyssey. The first relates the loves of Criemhilda and Sivrid; the second the revenge of the lady for her murdered husband. The manners are strongly tinged with the character of the period in which we believe it to have been composedthat at which the allodial chiefs were gradually submitting themselves to the feudal system, and learning to take a pride in their gilded chains. The sentiments and deeds of the actors belong to that earlier period, when part of Europe was yet occupied by Heathen tribes, and while even in the Christianized portion the last dying echoes of its old superstitions were still murmuring. The hero of the first part is Sivrid, son of the King of Her blushing face look'd lovelily from out her gay attire To say he ever in his life aught lovelier had seen. the Netherlands. The scene of his earliest adventures was the far North, where he overcame the Niebelungen, and mastered their treasure, conquered the dwarfs who inhabited the mountain caverns, and wrested from their monarch his coat of darkness-and finally slew the Lindwurm, and, bathing in its blood, rendered himself invulnerable, except in a small spot between his shoulders, on which a leaf had lain. The poem introduces us to him on the eve of his setting out to woo Criemhilda, the sister of the Burgundian monarch, with whom he had fallen in love from the report of her beauty. He lives long at the court before he obtains a sight of her; and his anxious Ennobling by her sight alone, even gallant heroes' mood. longing is beautifully described. There is extreme delicacy in the passage which expresses the effect his romantic passion had upon his appearance: Some lovely lady of the court would now and then enquire Who this proud stranger was-so fair-so rich in his attire? At once from out a thousand lips the ready words would spring "It is Sivrid the brave and gay, the Netherlands' young king!" In every game of mimic strife a conqueror he moved, And still his thoughts dwelt on the maid, whom all unseen he loved. She too the lady of his heart, whom he had never seenWould praise within her secret bower the youthful stranger's mien. As the bright moon before the stars walks out their placid Lord Sivrid felt, when she appear'd, joyful at once and sad: "That I," thought he, " should dare love thee, it were presumption mad; And yet, if I must want thy love, I'd rather far be dead." And with these thoughts still changed his hue from deadly pale to red. There, in this conflict of his thoughts, so beautiful he stood, As if he were a picture fair, drawn by some master good. the truth, They never yet had look'd upon one half so fair a youth. |