speed of light he had sprung to his feet, and hurried to the lattice; but twice before he reached it, had the cry been repeated, calling on the name of "Gilbert" with a plaintive energy, that could no longer be mistaken. He gained the embrasure, dashed the trelliced blinds apart—and there— struggling in the licentious grasp of the retainers, who ministered to the brutal will of some haughty noble-her raven tresses scattered to the winds of heaven, her turbaned shawl, and flowing caftan, rent and disordered by the rude hands of lawless violence-he beheld a female form of unrivalled symmetry, clad in the well remembered garments of the east. Her face was turned from him, and the dark masses of hair, which had escaped from their confinement, entirely concealed her features; still there was an undefined resemblance which acted so keenly upon his feelings, that the thunder of heaven could scarcely burst with a more appalling crash above the heads of the guilty, than did the powerful tones of the crusader as he bade them-"as they valued life, release the damsel!" With a rapid shudder, which ran though every limb at his clear summons, she turned her head. It was! it was his own lost Lilla!-the high and polished brow,―the eyes that rivalled in languor the boasted organs of the wild gazelle,-the rapturous ecstasy that kindled every lineament, as she recognized her lover's form, -the voice that clove through all the din, As a lute's pierceth through the cymbal's clash, were all all Lilla's!-To snatch his sword from its scabbard, to vault at a single bound from the lofty casement, to force his way through the disordered press, to level her audacious assailants to the earth, was but a moment's work for the gigantic power of the knight, animated as he now was, by all those feelings which can minister valor to the most timid, and give strength to the feeblest arm! He beheld her whom he had believed to be snatched for ever from his heart! nor could hundreds of mail-clad soldiers have withstood his furious onset! He had already clasped his recovered treasure in one nervous arm, whilst with the other he brandished aloft the trusty blade, which'had so often carried havoc and terror to the centre of the Moslem lines; when the multitude enraged at the interference of a stranger with what to them appeared the laudable occupation of persecuting a witch or infidel, seconded by the bold ruffians who had first laid hands upon the lovely foreigner, rushed bodily onward, threatening to overpower all resistance by the weight of numbers! gallantly, however, and at the same time mercifully, did Sir Gilbert Eglinton support his previous reputation; dealing sweeping blows with his huge falchion on every side, yet shunning to use the point or edge, he had cleft his way in safety to the threshold of his own door; yet even then the final issue of the strife was far from certain, for so sudden had been the exit of the baron, and from so unusual an outlet, that not one of his houshold were conscious of their lord's absence, and the massy portal was closed against the entrance of the lawful owner. Stones and staves flew thick around him, and so fiercely did the leaders of the furious mob press upon his retreat, that, yielding at length to the dictates of his excited spirit-he dealt the foremost a blow, which would have cloven him to the teeth though he had been fenced in triple steel; thundering at the same time with his booted heel against the oaken leaves of his paternal gate and shouting to page and squire within, till the vaulted passages rang forth in startled echoes.-At this critical moment the din of martial music, which had long been heard approaching, though so actively were the rioters engaged in their desperate onset, and so totally engrossed was the baron in the rescue of his recovered bride, that neither party were aware of the gorgeous cavalcade, that was winding its long train towards them, till the leaders were actually on the scene of action !—Of stature almost gigantic, noble features, and kingly bearing,—his garb glittering with gold and jewels, till the dazzled eye could scarcely brook its splendor, backing asteed, which seemed as though its strength and spirit might have borne Goliah to the field, and wielding a blade which no other arm in Christendom could have poised even for a second, the lion-hearted Richard, followed by every noble of his realm, dashed with his native impetuosity into the centre" Ha! St. George," he shouted in a voice heard clearly above the mingled clang of instruments, and tumult of the conflict,-"Have ye nobetter way to keep our festival, than thus to take base odds on one? shame on ye! vile rescreants! what ho!" he cried as he recognized the person of the knight,-"Our good comrade of Eglinton thus hard bestead!-hence to your kennels, ye curs of England-dare ye match yourselves against the Lion and his brood!"-Loud rang the acclamations of the throng, accustomed to the blunt boldness of their warrior king, and losing sight of his haughty language, in joy for his return, and admiration of the additional glory which had accrued to the whole nation from the prowess of its champion.—“God save thee-gallant lion-heart!—never was so brave a knight! never so noble a king!" Louder still was the wonder of the monarch and his assembled court, when they learned the strange adventure, which had been brought to so fair a conclusion, by their unexpected succor. The lady threatened with the lasting indignation of the royal Saladin, though never really in danger of life, had devised the false report of her own death; knowing that it were hopeless for her to dream of flight, so long as the eyes of all were concentrated on her in dark and angry suspicion; and knowing also that no dread of instant dissolution, nor hope of liberty could have induced her devoted lover to have quitted the land while she remained in "durance vile." When the first excitement,-caused by the escape of a prisoner so highly esteemed as was the bold crusader,-had ceased to agitate the mussulman divan, and affairs had returned to their usual course. Easily escaping from the vigilance of the haram guard, she had made good her flight to the seabathed towers of Venice, and thence to the classic plains of Italy. Then it was, that the loneliness of her situation,-the perils, the toils, the miseries which she must necessarily endure, weighed no less heavily on her tender spirits, than the unwonted labor of so toilsome a journey, on her delicate and youthful frame. Ignorant of any European language, save the name of her lover, and the metropolis of his far distant country, her sole reply to every query was, the repetition, in her musical, although imperfect accents, of the words-" London,"-"Gilbert !" Marvellous it is to relate,-and were it not in good sooth history, too marvellous!--that her talismanic speech did at length convey her,-through nations hostile to her race,--through the almost uninhabited forest, and across the snowy barrier of the Alps,--through realms laid waste by relentless banditti; and cities teeming with licentious VOL. 1. 33 and merciless adventurers,-to the chalky cliffs and verdant meadows of England! For weeks had she wandered through the streets of the vast metropolis, jeered by the cruel, and pitied, but unaided, by the merciful,-tempted by the wicked, and shunned by the virtuous,-repeating ever and anon, her simple exclamation, "Gilbert, Gilbert !"-till her strength was well nigh exhausted, and her spirits were fast sinking into utter despondency and despair. On the morning of the festival she had gone forth, with hopes renewed, when she perceived the concourse of nobles crowding to greet their king, for she knew her Gilbert to be high in rank and favor,--and fervently did she trust that this day would be the termination of her miseries. Again was she miserably deceived;-so miserably, that perchancehad not the very assault which had threatened her with death or degradation, restored her, as it were by magic, to the arms of him, whom she had so tenderly and truly loved,-she had sunk that night beneath the pressure of grief and anxiety, too poignant to be long endured. But so it was not ordained by that perfect Providence, which-though it may for a time suffer bold vice to triumph, and humble innocence to mourn-can ever bring real good out of seeming evil; and whose judgments are so inevitably, in the end, judgments of mercy and of truth, that well might the minstrel king declare of old in the inspired language of holy writ, I have been young, and am now old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. LINES. FROM BION'S EPITAPH ON THE PASTORAL POET MOSCHUS Wo! wo! the mallows which in gardens fall, And the green parsleys, and crisp anice tall, H W. H. In the concluding paragraph of the article, on "The Beauties of the Greek Tragedians," we promised our readers, that the two passages translated from Euripides, which were then deferred, should appear in subsequent pages of the present number;-it seems, however, that "The Tale of Troy Divine," is condemned to undergo a postponement to a still more distant period; as a press of matter, which appeared to be of a more interesting description, has compelled us to set the Chorus aside, till we shall again meet our readers on the first day of July. MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES OP LITERATURE, FINE ARTS, SCIENCES, THE DRAMA, &c. NEW PUBLICATIONS. ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS, Bishop of Casarca in Palestine, translated from the original, by the Rev. C. F. Cruse, A.M. Assistant Professor in the University of Pennsylvania, published by the Rev. R. Davis and brother, Philadelphia. We regret extremely that neither our limits, nor the time, which we have as yet been enabled to devote to the perusal of this valuable work, are such as to authorize us to speak fully at the present moment concerning the merits of its execution; still however we hope, that at some future period, we shall find leisure to give it that attention, of which-from a superficial examination-it seems so worthy. To the utility of the undertaking we gladly testify; the history of Eusebius has always been acknowledged by the church, as a book of the highest authority; the production of one, who by his high talents, no less than his piety, attained to an exalted station in the primitive Church of Christ, and who as as author, professes the inestimable advantage of a near acquaintance with the events which he professes to describe. On a slight inspection, it appears to us that Mr. Cruse has performed his part ably, both as regards the accuracy of the version, and the perspicuity of his style; and we are convinced that, in giving this first to the American world, he has conferred edition of the oldest ecclesiastical history no slight obligation on the world in general, and more particularly on those who profess to be sheep of one fold, under one shepherd. We cannot however but regret, that Mr. Cruse had not persevered in lustrating the text of his author, not only by annotations, but By the collation of parallel passages,-whether from the inspired writings themselves, or from the compilations of later historians, and the labors of the venerable fathers of our holy church; we are not indeed wholly free from apprehension, that without the aid of some such elucidation, the ecclesiastical history may be held too dry a study for the general reader, which-should it prove to be so-will be no small detraction from the utility of the publication; the main object of which, must necessarily be the diffusion of that matter among the world at large, which, as a matter of course, is read and studied in its original tongue by all ministers and professors of our blessed religion. Waiting anxiously for an opportunity of thoroughly comparing the English version with the text,-the only method of really testing the excellence of a translation, we in the mean time fear not to recommend it to our readers, certain that they will find it to be the studied effort of a scholar, and a Christian. NARRATIVE OF A VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; by Abby Jane Morrell-New York: published by J. & J. vels ably performed is one of the most inHarper, 82 Cliff-street-As a book of traefforts of authorship, so perhaps is it one structive, entertaining, and praiseworthy of the most difficult. Any person, to be a only be an accurate observer of things, but judicious narrator of travels, should not a shrewd judge of men and motives: he must set his views clearly before his reamust not only see clearly himself, but he ders; he must possess the savoir ecrire, the knowledge when he may expand, and when he must condense; he must particularly beware of trivial reflection, such as would naturally occur to any mind; and, above the rock which of all others is the most all things else, he must shun egotism, as likely to cause the shipwreck of his hopes. It is of course owing to these arduous diffiwell written books of voyages are by far culties, that we must attribute the fact, that the rarest of all works of a literary nature. In addition to all the qualities above enuof ornithology, botany, and geology; and merated, it is highly desirable that the narrator should possess a general knowledge for these reasons we have hardly met with a relation of travels worth reading in seve ral years, if we except the journals of men,scientific men of course,-sent out on expeditions for the advancement of science We fear that the narrative of "a voyage to by the governments of various nations. the South Atlantic" has no pretensions to rank above the mediocre in its line; agreeof an amiable and well-intentioned mind, ably written, and evidently the production it is nevertheless terribly deficient in the new, the striking, and the original, which are the qualities we most expect to find in publications of this nature;-notwithstanding this drawback, and some deficiencies in style and language, we doubt not but that many persons will derive amusement and inforination from its pages. ZOHRAB THE HOSTAGE, by the author of Hajji Baba, published by J. & J. Harper, 82 Cliff-st. New-York, 1833.-Such is the superfluity of novels which are rushing in a continued and overwhelming stream from the American press, that were we to record their names alone, without attempting to discuss their good or evil qualities, the bare list would occupy many pages. Such however is not our intention! Nor had we hundred of sheets craving matter to fill them, would we condescend to notice the majority of these flimsy productions. Zohrab is not one of these! It is a work of decided talent!-the work of a man who is writing what he knows, not what he invents! The costume, language and scenery of the whole are thoroughly Persian,-perhaps rather too much so for English readers, but spirited, interesting, and true. If we mistake not, the author has had personal opportunities of becoming acquainted both with the people and the country; and consequently his sketches are likenesses, and his descriptions landscapes! The principal fault of the novel lies in the disgusting repetitions of barbarity, which however true they may be, are prohibited from the stage by sound taste and good breeding.— "Ne pueros coram populo medea trucidet." The cruelties of Mohammed Aga Sha are, we grant it, historical, but we deny the truth of that position, which would assert that, because historical, they are therefore properly introduced into a work of fiction,-whose sole object must of course be entertainment,-with details which must offend every delicate ear, and chill every sensitive heart. WACOUSTA, or the Prophecy: a Tale of the Canadas, by the author of Ecarte.Key and Biddle, Minor-street, Philadelphia. An historical romance, founded on the attempts to capture the British forts of Detroit and Michillimackinac, by the famous Ponteac,-equal in harrowing excitement, rapid succession of incident, and vivacious description, to the best of Mr. Cooper's scenes of Indian warfare; and though strictly original, not dissimilar to his style of writing. Were the second volume at all equal to the first, we should not have the least hesitation in pronouncing it the very best novel of its kind we have ever seen and although there is a considerable falling off towards the end, owing to over anxiety to produce startling effects, and a complication of unnecessary horrors, it is nevertheless a very powerful piece of composition. We are far from being of that opinion, which holds it essential that every fictitious tale should end with a favorable solution of all prior difficulties, ---a feast, ---and a wedding.---We are, however, inclined to think that the author of Wa cousta, has diminished the excellence of his work, by the frightful catastrophe of Clara,---whose fate is too dreadful even to think of in a fiction, without horror,--after her nearly accomplished rescue from the barbarous associate of the Indian chief. The parts of the tale which gave us most pleasure, were the whole opening scene, the fruitless attempt of Ponteac to surprise the garrison of Detroit, and the departure of the young officers on their mission to warn the sister fortress of Michillimackinac, of the intended stratagem of the Ottawas. The part which we like the least, is the history of Wacousta himself, and the brutality of his conduct towards the wretched Ellen Halloway, and the_still_more wretched Clara Haldimar. The closing catastrophe, ---the escape of the renegade from the fortress of his countrymen,---the pursuit, and all---but the needless destruction of the two persons on whose safety the interest of the story hangs---is spirited and clever, but we think the book would have been improved, had the traitor and ravisher fallen by the bullets of Sir Everard, rather than by the knife of his comrade. SCHINDERHANNES, the Robber of the Rhine, by Leitch Richie.-Philadelphia: Carey, Lea and Blanchard. 1833.-Without absolutely agreeing with those who have asserted that such fictions as the above are positively immoral, we still are inclined to think that the portraying of robbers, banditti, murderers,-villains who took life without hesitation for the value, as it were, of a ed to mock the Almighty by the recitation a man's doublet,-hypocrites who presumvictims,-in the light of high-minded amiof prayers and masses over their butchered able, generous being, led astray By deep interminable pridebraving the laws, and therefore to be avoided, but not, as in truth they are, wretches who deserve to be shot down, or hung up without mercy whenever they may chance to be taken, cannot but have a prejudicial effect on the minds of the young and imaginative. We must not forget, that after the representation of "Schiller's Robbers," the utmost vigilance was necessary to prevent the outbreak of many among the noblest of the German youth, who, enamored of the wild pleasures, the stormy excitement of an outlawed life,---were burning to rush into the haunts of the forest, and to plunge headlong into the abyss of actual crime and infamy. We do not indeed believe the possibility of a similar result in the present day, still less in such countries as England or America; where obedience to the laws is inculcated from the earliest childhood, and where the distinctions of right and wrong are far more clearly defined and generally understood, than among the metaphysical discussions of the German University; human nature is, however, the same yesterday, today, and forever,---nor can that which formerly produced effects so prejudicial, be now considered wholesome!---The story is well told, and the very subject implies the necessity of interest, but we must regret that such men as Leitch Ritchie and M'Farlane, cannot find some better subjects whereon to display their powers than such Newgate Calendars as "Schinderhannes," or the "Lives of Celebrated Robbers and Banditti." |