Newspaper of Burlington Free Press, March 15, 1839, Page 1

NOT THE G L O It Y O F C JK S A K U V T T II K WE1FA UP, O F K O M E . BY H. B. STACY- FBSIDAY, MARCH 15, 1839. VOL. XII No. From Blackwood's Edinbnifth Mngntine. THE ONYX RING. CiiAr-ren IX. Such were the terms on which Marin nnd Walsingham stood together, when Mrs. Nugent proposed that sho nnd they Hhnuld ride in Hie evening, after nn onrly dinner to n ruined church a few miles nwoy, from which there was said to ben very beautiful prospect. Tliey sot ont more than an hour before sunset, nnd do signed to return by moonlight. Mr. No gent, who wns indolent, nnd cared nothing for any prospects but those of his own peil , igroo, rent-roll, nnd dinner table, said ho had letters to wiito and stnid at home Two or three of his guests nlso remained. But the riding party set ont in high spirit, followed by a single servant, nnd passed quickly through the green Innos till they began to reach the hgher and more bro ken ground of heathy hill. Horn they came to n farm house where Mrs. Nugent, a notable visitor nnd advisor of her inferior neighbors, said she must go in to sec the fr.rmer's wife, but would soon catch them by a shorter road than that which, for the pake of the view, was to bo pursued by them. The others accordingly rode on. Maria knew that the good lady's habits of delaying ond gossiping, would probably detain her longer than she had anticipated; but she could not change her auntn's ar rangements, and went forward without objection. " Not fnr, said Maria, from the point wc ore approaching, lives the man wo have beforo spoken of, the hermit Collin". I have sren him often, anil, strnngo as he is. I like him very much. There is such thor otigh honesty n limit him, as well as so much queer uncouth kindness, that lie in terest me extremely. He is thn most marked nnd original fignro 1 have- ever heard of in modern Huglnnd. Whatever is usual or common place nrnnug in seem to have influenced him only by contraries, nnd called out nothing but opposition." "All that, answered Walsinghnm, is very foolish, or at l"nst very imperfectly wise In every ago there is good enough, if a man will but put himself in harmony with it, to ennblo him to prodiieo much morn good out of it Ifho does not he defrauds his time of what he owes it ; and above all, ho keep1 his own mind in n pornottial aimless fer went uf antipathy. Kicking out behind m not the way to move forward cither for horse or man. And then what an absurd dream, to fancy that the good in any man hn grown up hu independent ly of all around him, as In l.avo nothing outwnrd with which to connect itself INo, no, we nre not thrown down ont of the sky like me teoric Floors, hut nrn formod by the sami laws and gradual processes as all about us. nnd are so adapted to it all, nnd it to us. Hut, no doubt, Collins will light Ins way through his present angry clement to peace ond activity. What employment has he tiow ?' Ho minds bee hives- And to t lira few people ho ever res he talk? quaintly and vigorously, I sometimes think wildly. But nil ho says has n strong stamp noon it, nnd never could pass horn hand to h n nil with out noiici. After having hoard him, some of his phrases keeo ringing in one's cars, as if he had sent a goblin trumpeter to haunt one with t ho sound fnr days and niahts after. But! have always felt thai he has more in Ins mind than ever comrs ont in tho expression, and so odd as his talk is, I should hardly call it affected or conciti'iv 'Ah! no doubt there must bo much genuine nntiirn there. But although these vehement lava lumps and burning coals ol his may bn no mere showy firework, nnd do shoot out from a hot central furnace, would rather it were to much cool clca water, pouring from an inward lane ol frcshnos?.' I can fancy him saving thn All .right. There must be a Fire. God as well as a Water God. If there were no fire forces font lung and blasting, for aught yon know, the fountains and flood forces would starjnato into slime. I heard him say something like that when I last saw him. ' All very true. But I stoop to drink of the stream, and 1 hasten away from tin eruption. 'In this case,' replied Maria, laughing the eruption saves vou tho trouble. It seeks no one nnd loves solitude.' In half on hour after parting with Mrs Nugent, they had climbed n sort of pa between two hills, and then turned to one side so as to gain the ridge. There wa then nothing between them and the sen but a wide and easy descent ending in level ground. Hardly a hniise was in eight for many miles. Broad tracts of heath, mm "led with furze and broom, all in full flow er, and here and I hero wit li patches of limbor. covered the long and weary fore ground, which Binned away into fields anil meadows, divided by hedge rows, and dot ted with sheep and cattle. A small town was visible several miles off nn the shore. Tho sea lay shining under n blood red sun, which had nearly set amid tho heat-red sky. Above tho'sun a dark cloud hung distinct and svvolcn ns a black mantle ; but tho glaring light blazed around tho specta tors, and illuminated one suits of the old church which 6tood about a mile from them on the same ridge as they. Tho por lion of it toward tho cast looked cold nnd gloomy, wlnlotnehot light poured through two or three windows, and defined the whole dark outline against the sky. Thev hnd hardly gazed for a few sec onds beforo the black cloud spread rapidlv, with its Brooking edges, over one third of tho henvens, and some heavy drops of rain fell. Walsingham looked nt Marin, and alio said, 'Lctusmako haste to tho church, there, is no nearer shelter.' She turned her horso in Hint direction; and riding fait, they reached tho broken walls of tho email green enclosure in which tho ruin stood, lore much rain had fallen. They pushed through one of thn gaps, gained the porch and dismounted. The door wos not lock ed, and they entered tho building, having tied their horses to nn old iron stnnchcon in the wall. A Btono bench still remained under the spiro of the church, on which Alarm sat down, while Walsinirham stood beside her. Tho eastern window, at the other end of the church from them, was in great degree blocked no hv rubbish nnd ivy, but through it wns aeon the gray sky, withiistrenk or two of fnint red. The western window, nuar them, was quite open, nnd between its sbnfts they saw the dark nnd stormy landscape, thceca, angry and Inbonog under a henvy sky. yet km died hero and there with flimc like rays, and the brond fierce sun, balancing fur n moment its crimson orb on the perilous edgo of tho horizon. They gnzed in earnest delight, but the sharp glare which struk upon Maria's eves compelled her to raise her hand beforo her face while WaL-inghntn stood confronting the violent and resplendent hour, as the glory upon his marble face was met by more than answering power from within. She looked at him with ndmiration from behind her hand, now tinged to a transpa rent pink ; and she thought that if, ns she believed, his life were far too statuesque and coldly predetermined, yet intelligence and sensibility could never have been in vented with a nobler form. At tins instant the ligh'iiing flashed amid filled the church; the thunder broke in n Ion" peal. The sun seemed to have dropped like a flag at the signal, and barely burnt above tho sea with n hand s breadth of intense radiance. A crash nt rain came down upon the build. lug. W nlsiogliam Uuned composedly to Marin, and seated himself beside her. This scene,' said he. ' is worth some io- cnnveon'iice- 1 tear had you expected it. you would have stnid nt home. It would havo been an additional inducement to 11 11: to come here.' should hardlv havo been allowed to choose, but I am not sorrv for tho event Tho wind rose high and flashed M10 rain in noisy hursts about the ruin. Tho neigh, boring old bench trees roared. The sound of tho ea Whs not nudiblc, but a vngue roll of white and black confusion showed its tumult oven nt n distance. A glimmer of the sun sot still played over it, though the son was now drowned out. The great nessof the powers at work stirred and en largcd the two beholders with a grave joy. They felt themselves rise and expand with tlio strong elements. One fells now,' said Walsingham, 'what life there is in nature, and our feeling shows how deeply it. is involved with our lite, how indispensably its powers aru one with thoe we wield ami aro conscious of. Almost wo dara tn say. with every gust and peal, these efforts of tho universe have 1 heir impulsions from our bren-ds, so might ily do sympathy and abounding imagination gush with them from within us. 'The storm is very grand,' she said, 'but I feel as if I should yield to its grasp, and lose myself in its vastness, if there wore not a hensc of religion which the sublime struggle awakens in mo, but which raises mo nbovo ii to God.' He did not answer her directly. But she heard him repeating, as if rather to Inmcciniian to her Ye demon winds lliat fill the van It of air, And caves of earlh v h 1 1 uproar .Sihvline. On whose dark blasts the falea let loose their hair Amid iIir iluuulcr clouds 10 stream and twine, It.ige on, huge spirits, wildly ns c can! Yet nobler lempcat swells 1 lie soul of man. Thoy wore both silent for snmo moments, when the lightning again broke in terrible beamy; and beforu the swift soond followed, they saw the ruin and each other's face in a niaz'j ot light, and land and sea swept over ny mo meteoric Durst, and in the dis tant depth n vessel reelin2 and crouching under tho tempest. Involuntarily she grasped his arm. She had never felt so intimately attracted to him as when he laid hi9 hand on hers, and returned her trembling pressure. ' It is the hour,' said he, 'of the spirits but I cannot wish it otherwise, or that I wore away from here.' 'I feel that God is here, but ns if he did not reach so fnr ns that poor ship.1 'Ho is there too,' replied Walsingham in a voice almost as low as hers,' 'but most doubtless, with those who believe in him. Tho horses were uneasy and frightened at the storm; nnd the poet said, after n pause 'those animals feel only npprohen sion. Wc can admire and enjoy the hour so much near do we lie to the source of all things, at which, could wo quite attain to it, all would doubtless appear in perfect harmonv. ' flow noble,' exclaimed Maria, 1 are these organ tones, so infinitely deep, o the vast air, while 111 tho midst of them w hear so many broken sounds, soma even whispers, liko voices of living hearts, filling the whole tempest and modulating every urentli ot it., Her hand now lay calmly in his, nnd he could feel its quiet pulsation. His own beat mora hurriedly excited not by the tempest but by hor. 'Yes,' said he, 'not only tho ethcrial powers nro working with fresh energies around us but the spirits in ourselves and how many nro thoro, enoh clniming in turn to bo our true self, which no one ol them is, but all of them together nro awakened and busy in such an hour, strong with more than common life. Nor can thoy stir nnd throng with out calling round them, too, tho other spirits of the past and present, perhaps of tho Inture, 01 an oeings with whom our hearts havo ever hold true communion. It is tho graves themselves which nro dead, and the dead livo triumphantly n round us.' His sweet and steady voico flowed elenr and low amid the clat'g and difcord of tho winds and rain, and wrought with the hour itself, in 1 ho cars of Maria liko nn enchant monl. She pressed the hand which held hers, nnd looking at tho other hand, said to him in n deep whisper 'How that, ring of yours glitters in tho dnrkness! I foul, too, ns if thoro was a wondrous life and piritual presence around u. But for weeks past I have hnd something of tin feeling, nnd more than ever, since you have been staying with us. It is now a month since I havo hoard nny thing of a dear riend, and his imago has been haunting me nt intervals nil the time. She felt his hand relax, and that he trctnhled whilo she spoke. She loo now trembled, for never to nnv nno beforo had she spoken of her love. But the previous idea still possessed her, tor thn potent strife of nature hnd elevated and freed her soul, nnd broken down manv an old barrier of reserve. Oltnn,' 6ho continued, and especially when you nro with me, ho walks visibly before me, and turns his head as if to look nt me, but never so much that 1 can catch Ins eye. There,' she cried, 'there now ho sees me ! nnd she drew her hand nwny convulsively, nnd pointed io'.o the darknes". A keen flash now came, and showed Walsingham that there was tin one wlicro she had looked. The astound ing thunder followed ; and Maria, nt the same lime, foil back with a long sigh. Walsingham, too, was much ngilaied, lor what he thus learned ol Maria's nffoclioos bitterly disappointed him ; hut ho com manded himself sternly. Another Hash now Fprcad nrotind them, and the the thun der followed so rapidly ns to show how mar to them was thcexplosion; but belorc it was heard she again opened her eyes, and both she nnd Iter companion saw once more tho fated ship, which now lay strip ped and dismasted, and seeming tn take its final plunge into the deep. They kept their eyes fixed upon the spot, but even when some fainter electric lights did play over the view, the sea was now invisible through the black sheets of rain. The streams from tho steoplo above them, and from the remaining portions of llic root, were heard rushing down with n continu ous uproar, while the rattle nnd tho mur mur of tho rain itself spread all nround and the wind howled and bellowed as if the universe were given over to its wrath. Except during the moments of t lie light ning, it had long been pitch dark. Maria felt that she could speak moro boldly than if she had been seen by Walsingham, nnd he said, in n low voice, 'I havo been talk ing very wildly : but Ibis tempest has filled mo with strange and stirring thoughts and I felt as if we knew each other better than 1 should ever otherwise havo believ cd.' Dear friend !' he answered gently nnd sadly 'such hours as these set afloat much that was aground, and open much that was closed. What wonder, when bucIi blasts are beating 00 the gates of our caverns, that they should burst open, ond npariiinns of loog-hidden Iruth como nut, nnd leap with inspired frenzy in the wild commotion! When tho storm passes, tho d.irk gates close anew, and the shapes sink hack into their cells, perhaps forever. To-morrow we shall wake as inhabitants of calm day light ; the involuntary anil painful disturb, ance will have ceased ; and the sense of what has been will remain ns lasting iov streogth.' Quiet passed into her bosom with his words, nnd she took his hand n;ain, but scarcely had ho received and rclurned this token of good will, when they both were smitten by a fearful shock. Their eyes seemed seared anil blinded, and their cars filled with an overwhelming noise. Thenir they breathed was 1 hick with dust and tas ted sulphureous. For some seconds the monstrous clamor continued, nnd the rnck ing bewilderment nil Walsingham exclaim cd, 'Aro yon hurt ." 'No, no,' she answered. ' what is it ." 'The lightning has struck tho church, but wo tire now probably safe.' They wcro nearly siifled by tho dust, but they could see, imperfectly, for they were no longer in total darkness. Ho looked up and saw a blaze high in the spiro ; Ma ria, too, perceived the fact ; but sho be came at once calm and steady, and said, 'what aro wc to do ? In tho daiknoss out sido wo could not find our way, and if wo remain wo may bo injured by the flames and rums.' They looked again, and saw thn flames had spread wider among tho old wood work, though the rnio hissed on them loud ly. Walsingham gazed fnr a miniito fix edly I'pward, and then said, ' wo arc in no danger. Vou must continue hero in this recess where nothing falling from above can hull yon; and there nro. I think, means of obtaining help. See hero!' and ho point ed out to her the ropo of tho church hell still hanging near them. This ho scizod, and began to ring it with all his strength. The loud alarm boomed mil through the storm, whilo tho crackling flames blazed and smoked around tho spire, but had not yet reached the bell rope. Ho paused in Ins work after n time, and said 'I wonder how it happens that this bell is left here, when tho building is oth erwise so entirely abandoned.' '1 t Inn u 1 havo heard,' replied Mann, 'that the parish to which tho church bo longs, but which has now n modern place of worship nearer tho village, holds somo land on condition of having this boll rung for an hour every St. Peter's day, and that it is never sounded nt any other tune of the year.' Ho now began to ring again, till at last tho ropo caught flro and was dividod : and soon after, tho bell becamo heated and cracked. 'So much,' ho said, 'for tho pn rish tenure of its lands,' Ho now placed himself besido her. nnd in a few moments they heard, through tho abating storm audi the increasing sound of tho fire, n human voice nnd trend, nnd then n mnn carrying a lantern appeared amid the smoky gloom. Chai'TKh X. 'What friend,' cried the voice, 'are you, that have taken possession of tho old tow er ? A pretty boacon and clamor you have raised.' 'We were driven hero.' replied Wal singham, 'by the storm, nnd the lightning lias strncu tho building. There is a lady here who wall's your help.' 1 he man caaic on guided by the voice. and when clns to them, held up his lan tern In see toeir faces, nnd thus at the snmo timo partly showing his own. 'O ! Mr. Collins, sinl Maria, tins is n strange scene that yon find us in.' It whb the friend sho had spoken of tn Walsingham, who now stood heforc them, Ins hat dripping with rn:ti, winch loll over his long nnd loose gray hnir. What!' he nnswercd--'Mnria Lasccl les ! Why you nre even n gayer crenlurr. of the elements than any complimentary young gentleman could have supposed, if you have chosen such nn evening for 0 plensani ride. And who is this with yon?' Mr. v alsinghnm, whose namo vou must have often heard.' Collins looked nt him with sham fiances of cold curiosity, and said, ' well, you nre as odd n pair of wild ducks ns ever took wing through a storm. But what must be done now ?' He looked up In the bnrninn spiro and continued, 'wo shall have halt' that wood-work and stuff up there down about our heads in three minutes ; but the rain must be near over now; it was clear ing off fist when I cams in here. Unless you want to he found by half tho village, whom that clatter you were making wth the bell will sot swarming, to sav nothing of the bonfire, you had best bo off with me to my house. I can manage to shelter you for ill 0 night, ond I suppose you can pro vide for yourselves in the morning.' They thanked him for his offer, and Maria said she would not accept it, but that she really felt weak and ill. and feared she should not be ablo to ride home. They placed her on her horse, which Collins led earring the lintcrn, and Walsingham bo-ide her lead ing Ins. and ready to support her had she required it. The houso to which Collins took his guests was about hnlf n mile from the church, and lie led them there by steep paths and over ground soaked with the heavy rain. But tho sky was now fast opening, ond tho moon shone bright. Ma ria looked silently nt the seo, but no ship wns In bo soin upon its broken nnd shifi ing surface. Before they reached the nlnce nt their destination, they passed n collage, whers fhey ntccitrod n. man to go 011 to Walsinnham'shnuso and tell Mrs. Nugcin of her noice's mfety. Turning nwny from this spot, theyhad the church in view. The spire, a tiass of red and yellow flime. sent up a coin nil of black smoke into the clear sky, ant the moonbeams now full upon that dare aerial structure. While they gazed thrbulding fell with an audible crash. An explosion of flame, sparks, nnd Miioke fl"W iiwnrd, nnd then tho cntiflv j grnlion grndinlly sunk down, and was hardly perceiiiblo, except from 0 dull dis coloration aboe it in the sky. nnd from the light throigh a small window in the lower part of ho tower. In a few mhtitcs more thoy arrived at the house of Collins, which, before he came to it, finl been that of a mere labor or. It consisted of only three rooms, two below and oocabnve. The upper one was usually his bciroom. t lie outer of tho lower ones his pnrlo and kitchen, and the other the chamber o' the old woman who wns his only servant. Walsingham securd the horso in ashed, while Collins showed Maria into hi! cottage. Ho drew a seal for her besiib tho fireplace, nnd busied himself in kiidling a fire, while he sent the old woman ui stairs to prepare his room for her use. walsingham soon camo in, nnd the threcsat round the lire. Collins waj a man hardly of middle age, and of rather low statu re. That which struck you nt first ns most remarkable in his appcararco was the bright glow of his complexion.and the silver gray of his long and floatinghair. He had small and dark eyes, which did not fix with keenness, but seemed most frequently nverted in nbstrnc lion. Theio was however an air of quiet ness and resolution about nil his actions. His head nlways looked firmly set ; his liands tenso. as if to gripe or clench. His feet seemed rooted whero ho set them down. Ill health, or grief, or natural char acter, hid added n strong cost of sadness, and even ol harshness to his countenance ; nnd there was something so earnest nnd vigorous about tho whole nspect, ns to give the notion 01 n catapult kept ever loaded to discharge its weighty missilo. This often cainn in tho sbapu of some rude and sudden phrase, violent nnd picturesque, but also luminous ns a burning nrrow, A broad nnd rough kindliness, and an nda mantino honesty were apparent nt first sight, nnd gained increased value on better knowledge Ho hnd lived in educated so cietv, had traveled and rend much. But or three years beforo the present tune, ho hnd come to the spot whero he now lived, hired a cottage with a tolerable garden; and there established n great number ol bee hives, tho inhabitants of which drew their fragrant honey chiefly Irom the henthy Mir fnco of their neighboring hills. He alien, dod them himself, and nppenred to doi'ive from them Ins principal if not his only sup port. Many of his hours ho spent 111 wandering n'nno over I ho hills. But it was a pleasure to him to meet with any casual strancers, however snuallid their wretch- eilncss, Ho also spoke without reluctance to persons of tho highest class ol society who happened to fa'l within his reach But if he found them barren and worthless he swung them off impntinntly. often wi'h some grim jest, nnd shaking his bent brows, went upon Ills way sullen nnd thoughtful. On the present neension, Iho wolf-mnn, ns ho might himself hnve snid, hnd on Ins sheep's clothing, nnd seemed cheerful nnd hnspitnble. He desired his nncient help mate to prepare tea, and fry some slices of bacon; and wilh this, nnd bread ar.d honey from Collins' hives, thoy hnd a meal which sufficed to refresh them. ' Wlmt can have taken you,' Faid Col lino. Mo thn old church, at such an hour of such nn evening ? Did you wait till it wns pitch dark in order to seutho view the bet ter." Darkness,' answered Walsingham, is sometimes well worth seeing. Wo how ever wanted only tn view the sunset from Iho church nnd proposed to return by twi light ond nnnnlight. But iho storm over look us, nnd, no doubt, nlso detained Mrs. Nugent at the farm house, where she had stopped behind us for n few moment. We were, of course, glad of tho shelter afforded by Iho ruin. What we should havo done nt last, but for you, I cannot imagine.' 'Oh, tho darkness would not hnvo ate you : and a night in the old church in such weather would have been a fnretnst of n kind of dim nnd bleak ghost land, much like, I suppose, to that which wo shall all onn day visit. A it i. no doubt the ring, ing of tho hell will be attributed to an evil spirit, by half tho eniinty. I myself was rather in hopes of finding some huge skeleton, or demon hard nt work, pulling the rope, nnd was rather disappointed nt seeing only you.' 'Ay.' said Walsingham, ' it would make nn had tale. Suppose wc spread the m mnr: A nameless fiend amused hunsell with ringing the bell till his burning hands set the rope on fire, which cominunicntrd with the wood work ; nod when Mr. Col lins ond a crowd of country people came to see what was the matter, he hurst out at the top of the spiro in an eruption of flame and smoke, gave a laughing yell a he vanished, and nit he snmo moment the building (ell in. nnd nil the inhabitants of the old church yard wore heard to groan in ilieir "raves, while Miss ljocnlles wns obliged, by ihe smell of sulphur to use her smelling hoiile. But Mr. Collins. I doubt whether nnv nppariiinti you might have loiind and invited home with you would have enjoyed your supper ns much ns we.' 'No; I suppose not,. And in fact, my surprise and disappointment worn ns fool-i-hnsthnt of a farmer, some miles from this, who received nn anonymous letter, telling him that in the middle of n certain wood, on such a day. he would tn d some thing far more strange nnd precious than t he crown jewels a specimen, indeed, of the mi st wonderful thing on carili. lie nt, expecting a bii-hcl of diamonds, or I'ottnnaius's purse, or something equally inhkc turnips and clover, nnd was much nsioni-h' d nnd puzzled nt seeing only 11 poor little chubby baby, let the letter writer said true enough. I do not know that even I have much right lo complain on 1 he present nccasino.' I hcn I am sure we havo not,' said iIn. nn; -hut I nm alrnid vou are very wci. and she glanced nt his hat which lay on the floor beside him. '0, my old hat is soaked a little.. So many queer mists nnd vapors rise up in it from one's brnins, especially when ont! has happened to look into a newspaper or fash, lonable novel, that it need not shrink Itoin a few aerial clouds descending on it. It is sorl of temporary firmament between tho storms and clatter ofohe's head below. and the oilier capricious meteorology up nbovo. And so metaphysics arc only the almanac of our brain weather. Many n system, indeed, in the almanac of n past year is falsified by the event, and reprinted with 0 freih dale, ns if it would be va.lid for the next twelve month.' Ho laughed n short sardonic laugh, nnd then fixed his eyes upon the firo as if ho had uttered Ins nrncle and was content. Wnlsingham smiled, and t-anl it would be amusing to hnve n complete history of coverings for the head written on that prin ciple. Their picturesque varieties nni! diverse uses havo olten been noticed by travellers, artists, nnd so foith. But the relation of the head garment to tho tho'ts would give n new point of view.' 1 Well, snid Collins with a lone between defiance and jesting, thcro aro many odd lacts to he noted 011 that matter. As the land shells of Maderia nre altogether differ not from those of the neighboring island of I'orlo bauto, so the l'orlugucse population of tho one place wero a small funnel sha ped, or unicorn cap, nnd Iho same race in tho other, ndnrn themselves with a flat bonnet.' Ah !' said Walsinghnm. 'rcmnrks of Hint depth nnd originality recnl the fnmous I'y t inn verses of Nathaniel Lee, the Troph'u man prophet : 'Melhinks I ppo n hieroglyphic) I1.1t Skim o'er ilia zenilh in 11 tdip.thod hat.' Both Collins and Maria now laughed loud nnd merrily; and tho Itccluso said. Well, no one can deny that Hid whoh of man is included between his hat and shoes. In these mysterious integuments nre con concealed thn extreme bondaries of Ins being, which, though certainly finite, phi losophers aver to he all hut infinite.' 'Or,1 said Walsingham, 'as wc tuny ex pre.s it in Orphic song : Oh uonilroiK powers, je tUae and h.ti, 'I'll, 11 hi, 11111I our human tpaii, Ilniv idly piiyes puzzle ul The limits em 10 man ! Thus does the conversation of pools nnd moralists, when they hnve not tho fenr of n pompous public before them, often become mere dnggrel nnd absurdity, nnd yet suits for tho limn both the men and the occasion. Such talk helped on Iho hour, till Maria .bade them good night, and thanking 1 hern both nnd especially Collins, for his k nd ncss, left them lo lhemelves. She retired to think, lo remember Arthur, lo shudder at Iho image of Iho lot vessel, to pray, and then loslcip. In thn mean lime. Col lins made moro lea for himself. Walsing hnm having had enough, ntid drnnlt i! by bowlsful, without milk, and sweetened wilii honey. CIIAPTT.n xt. 'That,' said Walsingham to Collin", 'wns a striking event of which w have hci 11 witnesses at the church. But I should like lo havo c bcrved, unseen, the demean our of the people when they reached lhr burning edifice, ns I suppose n crowd (if them soon did. There is much to attract and nwnkon one in the thought of a living world Marled by the cnnflsgrniioii of tv neighbouring world ofgrnvesnnd ghosts. But it ought lo he painted nn both sides. I mean both from the point of vie of iho actual beings regarding 1 his convulsion j the realm of the part, mid from Hint of tho ruin nnd its grave impersonated and spirit, unhzed, and brought face lo face wilh bod ily mortals. One might round the whole into n little Grncinn tragedy, tho nciion consisting ol the clliiris of the men to eavo the buildings, nnd their lamentations over memorials of their ancestors, nnd the Cho rus being n linnd of spectres, with the grey old founder of the church, clothed in his pall orient! and years, lending the grisly troop, and wailing and admonishing through the tempestuous nnd fiery nir.' ' Why.' nnswerod Collins, 'do any thing of the kind? Il might bo worth while ti know what really happened. But what wo should gain by Hiking 1 he mere namo ol Iho real event nnd appending a fiction lo it, I do oot fee. When I am tint in a very fern, cinus humour I do not tmnd sceing a sol dier, for I know what he and Ins dri'93 nre, and mean. But some lord or lincndraper coxcomb, in the masquerade dress of a soldier, is a thing to bo drifted, as soon as posMhle, dMvnthe great sewer of perdition. Thn uniform, on such shoulders, is hut a red rng thrown into the kennel; and tho biped is but the fleshy rffigy of a man n good deal moro ofTeiisiVh than a wax one at. a puppet-show. Now so 1 hold it to ho wilh your suposcd poem. By all means i;ivo us as much truth ns possible, even though the dose iscver so bilicr. But lies, whether in verse or prose, are no' abomina tion under the sun, and above it too, if such pests aro known there, which for the sake of the super-solars, I hope is not tho case. Truth, man ? truth is Iho only true poetry, if the business of poetry is to move the feel ings, which, for ought I seo, might as well be left unmoved. Bot bread and meat, which we do wont daily, arc facts. Am hrosin is doubt less a fact too for the gods. But for 100, n mnn, il is n fiiiion. lirend and truth nrn all man wants: nnd a loaf i.s only nn eatable lump of truth filled for tho body, as truth is tho invisible, but no less substantial, bread of the spirit. Tea, too. is truth in its way. and very good for a thirsty throat. Talk to me of nectar by the hour, but my mouth would still bo dry, ond I should wish you drinking it at Olym pus, or any where away from me. "What i.s truth?' said jesting Pilate, and would not wail for an answer: But I stnnd in Ins shoes, and wait instead of him.' Truth is every thing thai is. Every thing is truth; nnd every nothing is a lie. Destiny for ever spins things realities. But man is tho only beast I know of that spins nnihiogsficnons poems. So ho tries to swindle destiny and his own fellow beasts. But destiny spins on unswindled. ond leaves him lo die like a starved spider 111 own cobweb. Honesty is the only true religion; all else is mere f uperstition, more or less poetic that is. more or less false. 'A compendious creed, and that sounds as if il would have saved Aristotle, Quintil lan. Strada, ond the Schlcgels a good deal of trouble. lint look cln-cr. All that I, too, waot is I ruth, but I ruth made illicit giblo anil effectual for man. In order to this, what is essential and characteristic in an image or feeling must be seperated from what is accidental or futile 1 mean, from what must seem so to os fur doubtless, nothing really is so, must be divided from the endless, unmanageable All, which would only bewilder us. That is, it must be marked out as n distinct Whole by itself, with its own begining, progress, and con clusion. Now. if this he rightly done, wo shall have the essential. Thought filling its own circle, excluding oil that is extra neniis lo iisclf, and Inking in nnd embody ing without whatever is necessary In its own completeness and evidence. All this, however, is quite ns true of a history, or a theory, or a speech, os of 0 poem. But herein is the difference, that iho poem is not meant to convey knowledo or produce conviction, hut to exci'o a ftntc of feeling ni once lively nnd harmonious. That tho feelings may be lively, the puoinmust havo energy, distinctnc, glow; that they may be harmonious, it must have consistency and completeness, nnd uiut lend to the apprehension of a peaceful order supremo over nil confusion. But it niny havo nil theso requisites, nnd therefore be a good poem, nud yet be far from n literal repre sentation ol the fact, even thought, or em blem, which suplies Hie pretext fur it. If you tightly weigh nil these condition's of a poem's existence, you will sec. I think, that it may and often must admit free and mar vellous displays ol fancy, legend, supersti tion, nnd symbolic nrcrntnnncy In n word, it hum boldly say To produce an impres sion equivalent In that which this actual, hut super-abundant, overwhelming world would produce in a mind capablo embracing it as a wholu. I will shapo 11 world of my own, no less vivid and enhoroul, but roundeil in n smaller circle, readily intelligi'ilo to man, and delightful lo him, as freo from the baffling, confounding itntnonsily of that in which hn I lives, 1'very thing, llietcfore, which wo bor