And our glad eyes, awake as day begun, Watch'd Joy's broad banner rise, to meet the rising sun! O these were hours, when thrilling joy repaid A long, long course of darkness, doubts, and fears! The heart-sick faintness of the hope delay'd, The waste, the woe, the bloodshed, and the tears, That track'd with terror twenty rolling years, Heaven grant this "glee" may long endure! Never may we be again involved in that Long, long course of darkness, doubts and fears! The poet has made good use of those traditionary tales, which express the wonder of a rude age at every surprising turn of fortune for which it was unable to account. The marvellous accomplishes, or, at least, completes, what now-a-days is attributed to simple matter of fact, guiding or perhaps, being guided by, no greater impulse than natural causes. A marvellous light directs the adventure of Bruce, and animates the genius of the poet: Their eyes oft turn'd where glimmer'd far But as, on Carrick shore, In night the fairy prospects sink, But on that ruddy beacon-light Or would thy dauntless heart endure "Hush!" said the Bruce, "we soon shall know, If this be sorcerer's empty show, Or stratagem of southern foe. The moon shines out-upon the sand A cold blooded critic might be tempted to ask the poet, how the faces of these soldiers could appear pale, when the light by which they are seen was red? so red, too, that Dark red the heaven above it glow'd, This we pass; to observe, that Mr. Scott has an entertaining note on this meteor; the remembrance of which is not wholly extinct among the inhabitants of the adjacencies. Another action, perfectly in character for the age, is commemorated by the poet; with good effect. It is the devotion of the Scottish army previous to the battle; over the issue of which it is thought by historians, to have had considerable influence, Now onward, and in open view, To all that bars his way! The Monarch held his sway. King Edward's hests obey. De Argentine attends his side, Upon the Scottish foe he gazed- Sunk banner, spear, and shield; For pardon they have kneel'd." "Aye!--but they bend to other powers, Tradition mentions other preparations by Bruce, and instances of his military skill, which diversify the narrative. In the mean while, Edith, as a page, re ceives from Ronald those attentions which valour would readily bestow on a stripling. He supports, cheers, encourages, and even carries this silent boy, with a tenderness and condescension, which form a pleasing part of his character; a part on which the eye rests with pleasure. Not on their flight press'd Ronald's brand, Edith, is subsequently taken prisoner by the opposite party, and having been a spy, is condemned to execution, but is rescued by Ronald in the height of the battle, as we observed, she recovers her speech, amidst a burst of patriotism. The interrupted marriage is renewed, under the sanction of Bruce, who had been the cause of all these difficulties and delays. We shall not attempt to institute an elaborate comparison between this poem and former poems, by the same master: but, shall freely acknowledge, that with whatever mingled feelings we rise from perusing this performance, the notes have yielded us much entertainment, a portion of which we submit to the reader. They will of necessity, appear unconnected; but that is previously understood. That which describes the pleasure taken by the Seal in music, deserves in sertion: The Seal displays a taste for music, which could scarcely be expected from his habits and local predilections. They will long follow a boat in which any musical instrument is played, and even a tune simply whistled has attractions for them. Mr Scott, has it in his power, possibly, to enlarge our information on this curious subject. What other marine animals have the same disposition? and how far will it account for the poetical use of it, when mermaids, &c. are described as delighted with music, and following boats, which afforded them the pleasure of hearing instruments, &c? We lately had occasion to report on the importance and character of Irish Bards and we often have expressed doubts, whether the supposed slaughter of the Welch Bards, was any thing more than a gradual disregard of the body produced by the increase and diffusion of literary civilization.-To this may be added, on the testimony of Martin, as selected by Mr. Scott, their own misconduct. The character of the Highland bards, however high in an earlier period of society, seems soon to have degenerated.The Irish affirm, that in their kindred tribes severe laws became necessary to restrain their avarice. In the Highlands they seem gradually to have sunk into contempt, as well as the orators, or men of speech, with whose office that of family poet was often united. any orator did but ask the habit, arms, horse, or any other thing belonging to the greatest man in these islands, it was readily granted them, sometimes out of respect, and sometimes for fear of being exclaimed against by a satire, which, in those days, was reckoned a great dishonour. But these gentlemen becoming insolent, lost ever since both the profit and esteem which was formerly due to their character; for neither their panegyricks nor satires are regarded to what they have been, and I must not omit to relate their way of they are now allowed but a small salary. study, which is very singular: they shut their doors and windows for a day's time, and lie on their backs, with a stone upon their belly, and plads about their heads, and their eyes being covered, they pump their brains for rhetorical encomium or panegyrick; and indeed they furnish such a stile from this dark cell as is understood by very few; and if they purchase a couple of horses as the reward of their meditation, they think they have done a great matter. The poet, or bard, had a title to the bridegroom's upper garb, that is, the plad and bonnet; but now he is satisfied with what the bridegroom pleases to give him on such occasions."-Martin's Western Isles. The history of Stones of memorial, is a curious and entertaining subject: they have been adopted in all countries, and among all nations, wandering or stationary; they were used also, as trials of strength and manly vigour : we have an instance of such an one, in the stone Zoheleth, 1 Kings i. 9: this say the Rabbins, served as an exercise to the young men, who tried their strength, by rolling, or lifting it. This accords exactly with another described by a friend of Mr. Scott: "The orators, in their language called Isdane, were in high esteem both in these islands and the continent'; until within The lepers' charter-stone was a balsatic these forty years, they sat always among block, exactly the shape of a sheep's kidthe nobles and chiefs of families in the ney, and weighing an Ayrshire boll of streah, or circle. Their houses and little meal. The surface of this stone being as villages were sanctuaries, as well as smooth as glass, there was not any other churches, and they took place before doc-way of lifting it than by turning the holtors of physick. The orators, after the Druids were extinct, were brought in to preserve the genealogy of families, and to repeat the same at every succession of chiefs; and upon the occasion of marriages and births, they made epithalamiums and panegyricks, which the poet or bard pro- | nounced. The orators, by the force of their eloquence, had a powerful ascendant over the greatest men in their time; for if low to the ground, there extending the by the freemen of Prestwick in a place of A very curious and romantic tale is told security. There is one of these charter-by Barbour upon this subject, which may stones at the village of Old Daily, in Car- be abridged as follows:rick, which has become more celebrated by the following event, which happened only a very few years ago:-The village of New Darly being now larger than the old place of the same name, the inhabitants insisted that the charter-stone should be removed from the old town to the new, but the peo ple of Old Daily were unwilling to part with their ancient right. Demands and remonstrances were made on each side with-ock, in Ayrshire, Aymer de Valence, When Bruce had again got footing in Scotland in the spring of 1306, he conticondition, gaining, indeed, occasional ad-. nued to be in a very weak and precarious vantages, but obliged to fly before his eneUpon one occasion, while he was lying mies whenever they assembled in force. with a small party in the wilds of Cum John of Lorn, came against him suddenly with eight hundred men at arms. They brought with them a slough-dog, or bloodhound, which, some say, had been once a favourite with the Bruce himself, and therefore was least likely to lose the trace. Earl of Pembroke, with his inveterate foe ont effect, till af last man, woman, and child, of both villages, marched out, and by one desperate engagement, put an end to a war, the commencement of which no person then living remembered. Justice and victory, in this instance, being of the same party, the villagers of the old town of Daily now enjoy the pleasure of keeping Bruce, whose force was under four hun the blue stone unmolested. Ideal privileges dred men, continued to make head against are often attached to some of these stones, the cavalry, till the men of Lorn had nearly In Girvan, if a man can set his back cut off his retreat. Perceiving the danger against one of the above description, he is of his situation, he acted as the celebrated supposed not liable to be arrested for debt, and ill-requited Mina is said to have done nor can cattle, it is imagined, be poinded in similar circumstances. He divided his as long as they are fastened to the same force into three parts, appointed a place of stone. That stones were often used as rendezvous, and commanded them to resymbols to denote the right of possessing treat by different routes. But when John land, before the use of written documents of Lorn arrived at the spot where they dibecame general in Scotland, is, I think,vided, he caused the hound to be put upon exceedingly.probable. The charter-stone of Inverness is still kept with great care, set in a frame, and hooped with iron, at the market-place of that town. It is called by the inhabitants of that district Clack na Couddin. I think it is very likely that Carey has mentioned this stone in his poem of Craig Phaderick. This is only a coujecture, as I have never seen that work. While the famous marble chair was allowed to remain at Scoon, it was considered as the charter-stone of the kingdom of Scotland." the trace, which immediately dire teď him to the pursuit of that party which Bruce headed. This, therefore, Lorn pursued with his whole force, paying no atteution to the others. The king again subdivided his small body into three parts, and with the same result, for the pursuers attached themselves exclusively to that which he ed in person. He then caused his followers to disperse, and retained only his fosterbrother in his company. The slough-dog followed the trace, and, neglecting the others, attached himself and his attendants vinced that his enemy was nearly in his to pursuit of the king. Lorn became conpower, and detached five of his most active attendants to follow him, and interrupt his flight. They did so with all the agility of mountaineers. "What aid wilt thou To what extremities Bruce was driven, and what resources his active mind furnished him with, are well illustrated in the history of his escape from the greatest peri, which, so far as we remember, ever attended him. The readi-make?" said Bruce to his single attendant, mess of his determination does infuite when he saw the five men gain ground on nim. honcur to his vigilance, his address, and "The best I can," replied his fosterbrother. "Then," said Bruce "here I his knowledge: he must have well demake my stand." The five pursuers came served the character of being no ordi-up fast. The king took three to himself, nary man. Says Mr. Scott, The echoes of Scotland did actually ring leaving the other two to his foster-brother. He slew the first who encountered him; but observing his foster-brother hard pressed, he sprung to his assistance, and dis With the bloodhounds that bayed for her fugi-patched one of his assailants. Leaving him tive king. to deal with the survivor, he returned upon the other two, both of whom he slew before | omens, and one is recorded by tradition.--his foster-brother had dispatched his single | After he had retreated to one of the miseraantagonist. When this hard encounter ble places of shelter, in which he could was over, with a courtesy, which in the venture to take some repose after his diswhole work marks Bruce's character, he asters, he lay stretched upon a handful of thanked his foster-brother for his aid. It straw, and abandoned himself to his me. likes you to say so," answered his follower; lancholy meditations. He had now beca "but you yourself slew four of the five." defeated four times, and was upon the "True," said the king, “but only because point of abandoning all hopes of further I had better opportunity than you. They opposition to his fate, and to go to the were not apprehensive of me when they Holy Land. It chanced his eye, while he saw me encounter three, so I had a mowas thus pondering, was attracted by the ment's time to spring to thy aid, and to re- exertions of a spider, who, in order to fix turn equally unexpectedly upon my own his web, endeavoured to swing himself opponents." from one beam to another above his head. In the meanwhile Lorn's party ap; proached rapidly, and the king and his foster-brother befook themselves to a neighbouring wood. Here the sat down, for Bruce was exhausted by fatigue, until the cry of the slough-hound came so near, that his foster-brother entreated Bruce to provide for his safety by retreating farther. "I have heard," answered the king, "that whosoever will wade a bow-shot length down a running stream, shall make the slough-hound lose scent.-Let us try the experiment, for were yon devilish hound silenced, I should care little for the rest.” Lorn in the meanwhile advanced, and found the bodies of his slain vassals, over whom he made his moan, and threatened the most deadly vengeance. Then he followed the hound to the side of the brook, down which the king had waded a great way. Here the hound was at fault, and John of Lorn, after long attempting in vain to recover Bruce's trace, relinquished the pursuit. If ever there were a history calculated to encourage the persevering, it is that of Bruce alternately exaited and depressed, by turns a king and an outlaw, be never forgot himself; and though we doubt much, and support our doubts by what portraits of him are supposed to be resemblances, whether Mr. Scott's description of his personal dignity be correct; yet we defer to the right of a poet to ennoble such a hero, in whatever way he pleases. It is sufficient, if the perseverance of this Prince may prove exemplary to those engaged in benevolent, or in laudable, undertakings. Bruce drew his omens from nature: others may draw their omeps from him. Bruce, like other heroes, observed Involuntarily he became interested in the pertinacity with which the insect renewed his exertious, after failing six times; and it occurred to him that he would decide his own course according to the success or failure of the spider. At the seventh of fort the insect gained his object; and Bruce, in like manner, persevered and carried his own. Hence it has been held unlucky or ungrateful, or both, in one of the name of Bruce to kill a spider. Description Physique et Historique des Cuffres, &c. Physical and Historical Description of the Caffres, on the Southern Coast of Africa; by Louis Alberti, Chevalier, &c. 8vo. Price 10s. Fine 15s. Amsterdam, Maaskamp. Imported by Taylor, London. At length, then, if M. Alberti be not mistaken, we have discovered a nation that has no notion of a Beity:-neither priesthood, or oblations; neither fear, nor, affection; no object on which to center hopes, from which to solicit fayours, or toward which to direct expectation:- -no supreme: no protector; no providence:--no superior, when to love: uo creator, whom to respect !--and yet, strange to tell, it has a sense of moral pollion, a consciousness of defect and guilt, of liability to punishment, and exposure to injury. The Catires practise customs, too, sufficiently unnatural, to warrant the opinion that they are by us means in a state of nature. The most probable conjecture is, that they have formerly been taught; but have no remembrance of their teachers; that having no priesthood, neither order, nor profession of men, to explain the rudiments of duty, nor to preserve know |
