the air, the cares of the old folks seem over, and they resume all their aristocratical dignity and idleness. I have envied them the enjoyment which they appear to have in their ethereal heights, sporting with clamorous exultation about their lofty bowers; sometimes hovering over them, sometimes partially alighting upon the topmost branches, and there balancing with out-stretched wings, and swinging in the breeze. Sometimes they seem to take a fashionable drive to the church, and amuse themselves by circling in airy rings about its spire; at other times a mere garrison is left at home to mount guard in their strong hold at the grove, while the rest roam abroad to enjoy the fine weather. About sunset the garrison gives notice of their return; their faint cawing will be heard from a great distance, and they will be seen far off like a sable cloud, and then, nearer and nearer, until they all come soaring home. Then they perform several grand circuits in the air, over the hall and garden, wheeling closer snd closer, until they gradually settle down upon the grove, when a prodigious cawing takes place, as though they were relating their day's adventures. I like at such times to walk about these dusky groves, and hear the various sounds of these airy people roosted so high above me. As the gloom increases, their conversation subsides, and they seem to be gradually dropping asleep; but every now and then there is a querulous note, as if some one was quarrelling for a pillow, or a little more of the blanket. It is late in the evening before they completely sink to repose, and then their old anchorite neighbour, the owl, begins his lonely hootings from his bachelor's hall, in the wood. SIR, Your correspondent, "A Querist," asks for an explanation of the two images that appear to be reflected from a glass bottle, when the bottle is held in a position to receive, at a certain inclination, the rays of the sun or, in other words, he asks, if the Comet of the Cannon-Street Astronomers, be any thing more than a mere optical delusion. If there really is at this time a Comet in the immediate neighbourhood of the sun, visible by means of the reflection from a glass bottle, it appears to me, that the same Comet would be visible, also, through the shaded glasses of a telescope, or indeed, through any shaded glass. This is not, however, the case, for I find that through such glasses this Comet can not be seen; and I, therefore, conclude, that the two reflected images are, indeed, nothing more than a double reflection of the sun's image. How then, it may be asked, does this double reflection take place? It is well known that light, in passing from a rarer into a denser transparent medium, and the converse, is reflected at the surfaces of the media. I would say then, of the two reflected images in question, that the one is a reflection of the sun's image from the exterior surface of the bottle; and interior surface; and, hence I would infer, that your Cannon-Street Astronomers may be gratified by a view of their Comet, whenever, in the sunshine, they may please to take their bottle and look for it! As I have endeavoured to answer the enquiries of your correspondent, may I now, Sir, be allowed to turn, for a moment, Querist myself, and propose, for the consideration of your readers, the subjoined Philisophical Query? It is a question that probably may not be thought unworthy the notice of your "A Friend," and "O," from whom correspondents, we have recently had some very interesting letters on a similar subject. that the other is a reflection of the same from the I am, Sir, &c. Manchester, June 26, 1822. COMETARIUM. Second Philosophical Query. In the passage of light out of glass into air, there is a reflection as strong, as in its passage out of air into glass :-What reason can be assigned for this fact? RAZOR STROPS. TO THE EDITOR, SIR,-A method of making good Razor Strops has long been a desideratum. The following receipt for preparing a composition to cover strops of this kind, was, I believe, first published in a recent number of Tilloch's Magazine. I have, at different times, made a quantity of the compound for myself and my friends, least, as any preparation of the kind we have ever and we all agree in opinion, that it is as good at met with. It very much resembles the article with which the expensive patent strops, now so very generally used, are covered; and the patent strops are, certainly, not superior in any respect, to those which are prepared with the substance in question. "Take equal parts of sulphate of iron (green copperas) and common salt. Rub them well together, and heat the mixture to redness in a crucible. When the vapours have ceased to rise, let the mass cool, and wash it to remove the salt, and when diffused in water, collect the brilliant micaceous scales which first subside. These, when spread upon leather, soften the edge of a razor, and cause it to cut perfectly." The crucible will require to remain about ten minutes in the hottest part of an ordinary fire, so that the mixture may continue for a short time, in a red heat, before the operation is completed. When the crucible, after its removal from the fire, has cooled, the mixture will strongly adhere to it; part of the compound may be broken off by a form each other: he supposes the retina to consist of three sets of fibres, differing in their natures from each other, likewise: he supposes each of these sets of fibres to be liable to be put in motion by its corresponding kind of colour, and by that kind only; or by certain spoutaneous spasms, of which he supposes the retina capable: he supposes, that when any one of these sets of fibres has been fatigued by exposure to excessive stimulus, it is relieved, either by a gradual cessation of action, which produces, what he terms, a direct spectrum; or by the spasms of the other sets, by which he conceives change of colour to be effected. According to this hypothesis, therefore, whenever all the fibres have been fatigued equally and simultaneously, a direct spectrum must inevitably follow :-but this is not the case. I this day gazed upon the sun at noon;-I closed my eyes;-the phasis was for a moment red, and for a few seconds yellow; it then became green, ultimately subsiding into a bright blue, which has haunted me during the whole afternoon. In this experiment, as the whole retina was in the first instance excited and fatigued, it evidently could be relieved only by a grad al cessation of the action of its fibres; -a process, which, according to "A Friend's" theory, could produce a direct spectrum only. As I am not desirous of provoking further discussion of the subject, having stated my reasons for refusing assent to "A Friend's" theory, I forbear to remark upon many parts of his letter, which appear to me objectionable. I had hoped, that some one of your readers would have thought it worth while to have entered upon an enquiry into the nature of colour; disappointed in this expectation, I take my final leave of the subject of Ocular Spectra. Saturday Evening, June 22, 1822. TO THE Editor, 0. SIR,-Hearing that a new market is about to be erected at Bank-Top, it would give me pleasure to be informed upon what plan it is proposed to be built; whether it is to be in any, or every respect like the Liverpool new (covered) market, which is a commodious and elegant erection, 183 yards in lars, 68 shops, 160 stands, and 114 gas-lights; or, length, 45 yards in breadth, containing 116 iron pilwhether it is to be on thesame plan as the Shadehill market. spatula, and the remainder may be removed by S. several washings of clean water. The best way of putting the preparation upon a strop is, by moistening it with oil, which will cause it to adhere. The thanks of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, have been voted to George Reveley, Esq. for suggesting the use of soap, instead of oil, in setting cutting instruments upon a hone. I am, Sir, your's, &c. D. J. June 24, 1822. TO THE EDITOR, SIR," A Friend" having thought proper to resume the consideration of Ocular Spectra, I beg leave to make a few remarks upon those parts of his Essay, which have reference to the Query, proposed by me, a short time since. The four first sections of his communication need no comment :—and, respecting the fifth, I have only to remark, that his inference appears to me unauthorized by his experiments. From the sixth and seventh sections I have formed the following sketch of his hypothesis: He supposes the colours, Red, Yellow, and Blue, to differ in their natures ab origine, and essentially TO CORRESPONDENTS. C. writes rather nervously, but on a subject which we wish to avoid.—We shall be glad to hear from him in another way. The Portrait which we have received from Mottram we must decline inserting. We think it is a mere daub,notwithstanding the Painter's finishing touches. We shall never, knowingly, make our publication a vehicle for personal abuse. The enquiries of " A Mercantile Man," will be best answered by applying at the Stamp-offiee. We should have been very glad, could we have obliged Cæsar Withns by inserting his stanzas, but we positively do not understand such lines as "Throw'st o'er the earth thy fond embrace." "Plunge, the crush'd soul in endless pain." Perhaps he will take the trouble to revise them. Communications have been received from A Constant Reader.-Laura.-S.*** N.-S. B.-J. H.-and Leon. Manchester: Printed, Published, and Sold, by the Proprietors, HENRY SMITH AND BROTHERS, St. Ann's Square, to whom all Communie ations (post paid) must be addressed. IT was a beautiful moonlight night. The clouds which, during the day, had obscured the sky, vanished as evening approached, and scarcely a speck broke in upon the uniformity of the wide blue expanse. The beams of the moon fell upon a landscape of the most lovely scenery. Far as the eye could stretch, it was greeted with an uninterrupted succession of plains, smiling with fertile green, sloping dales, and shady recesses, where nature had lavished her wildest luxuriance. The luminous beauty of the sky was reflected on the calm breast of a lake that slept in majestic serenity, and on the borders of which, lofty trees cast their dark shadows, through whose branches the wind sighed in soft but melancholy murmurings. By the side of the lake rose a lofty rock, whose barren sides were scantily speckled with shrubs and lichens, and its towering summit was crowned with a small but strong fortress. The style of architecture seemed to denote it of Saxon origin. It was a square building, with small narrow windows, and from its battlements, black with age, the wreathing ivy hung in natural festoons. The wall which surrounded it, was built at the very brink of the precipice; while at its base, a deep moat, communicating with the lake, gave additional security to the inhabitants of the castle. It formed the most prominent object on which the eye could rest for relief from the monotonous, though beautiful uniformity of the surrounding prospect. Strongly fortified by nature and art, it was, except by one private passage, impregnable. At the head of this passage, a small tower was erected, to guard which, in times of peace, one sentinel only was placed. The whole force of the place consisted only of Sir Hugh de Montfort, its possessor, a warder, whose teeble limbs and scanty gray locks, seemed cotemporaneous with the building of which he was an inhabitant, and four stout men at arms, though even these few might have defended a spot situated as Rochby Castle was, against the open force of a hundred times the number of assailants. But danger was unexpected, and no echo replied to the footsteps of the SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1822. sentinel, who preferred snugly slumbering in his watch tower, to pacing about in the cold, though delightful scenes, which might be so well seen from his post on such a night as this, and which would have tempted any one, not endued with his insensibility to such charms, to ramble forth, and enjoy that delicious feeling of freedom and expansion of soul, which the fresh breeze imparts in such a place, and at such a time. Advertisements.-The last column of the Iris is open to such advertisements only as are of a Literary or Scientific nature, comprising Education, Institutions, Sales of Libraries, &c. PRICE 3d. "what "Peace," said the former speaker, noise is that?" They listened, and the slow and measured strokes of oars were distinctly heard, as they were dashed into the breast of the lake. "He comes now, however," said Foston. 66 Be cautious," whispered another, "it may be an enemy." "What enemies have we to fear," said a third; "who knows our business here?" "No one-but any one who finds us here, may think proper to enquire our business." "We have a short answer for him," rejoined the first; a word and a blow will silence his tongue." "Be quiet," said Giles, "the boat draws near-ye may see the rower." "And a proper rower he is by'r lady, he clears space at every stroke." Notwithstanding the shelter which it was obvious the trees and shrubs growing on the margin of the lake, extending even to the entrance of the moat, might give to besiegers, so little was any attack anticipated, that they had been suffered to flourish in unchecked vigour. It was among these that a rustling sound might be heard, and the voices of men suppressed, as through fear of discovery, Now and then too, the glittering of a steel The boat, which had for some time prohelmet, as the moon shone on its polished sur-ceeded cautiously along the farther side of the face, gleamed through the bushes. This, lake, for the purpose, seemingly, of being however, might seem the reflection on the concealed by the shrubs on the brink, had water, and was not likely to attract much now arrived at the narrowest part. Here the notice, even if there had been any one to ob- rower was to cross, and he dashed across with serve such appearances. No one, however, such swiftness, that he almost seemed a spirit was sufficiently curious, or fond of the roman- skimming over the water, circled in a cloud of tic, to be watching at that hour any thing that drops which followed every stroke of his might take place in the neighbourhood of the powerful arm. castle. In the middle of the thirteenth century, at which time the events of which we speak took place, this kingdom, in common with the continental states, was subject to the feudal law, a system which, whatever excellencies it might possess, seems to have thrown too much power into the hands of the nobles, who, secure in their fortified habitations, were enabled to delay, and not unfrequently to frustrate, the proceedings of justice. Under the reign of Henry the Second, a wise and prudent prince, these evils, though in some degree repressed, prevailed with a force that rendered the possession of the weaker part insecure, and there was too much to justify the expression, "might makes right." "Is it not past the time?" whispered one of the men to his companions. "He was to be here by the time the moon had risen above the rock yonder, and that she has long done." "It is past the time most surely, Giles Foston," answered one of the persons addressed. "Wait ye patiently," said another, "our master, Reginald Fitzurse, is not one to hang back when a pretty girl, or the stroke of the battle-axe is concerned." "He is like to meet with both to night," added Giles, "they are equally welcome to him, and he would encounter the one with as much readiness as the other." "Is the sword unsheathed?" said the new comer, as he sprung from his light vessel on the ground. This was the watchword. "Is the battle-axe sharp?" was the reply. "Have ye observed any thing while ye have lain here?" No, my lord, we have been undisturbed. The brave men of yon castle I guess, prefer sleeping to watching, for their sentinel has never stirred a foot." "All is well then," replied Fitzurse, "and the sooner we commence operations the better. Are all here?" "They are." "What force do we muster then?-let me see, here are five of us." Bracebridge and I will first mount the passage. You, Giles and Sertoun, will follow and secure us against the people of the castle, while we assail the lady Eva's chamber. Geoffrey will guard the boat. But despatch must be the word-away!" With a bound, successively, they cleared, one after another, the moat which, owing to the rocky foundation, and other impediments, was narrower at the place where the passage was cut, than at the other parts, though yet sufficiently wide to present an obstacle to any one passing. They rushed up the steps cut in the rock, clinging to the weeds and grass that grew on its surface-now clambering over some projecting rock-and now venturing a desperate spring, and catching at some prominent stone or faded shrub, for the road was by no means without danger; and the few straggling steps approached to nothing like a regular flight. As Fitzurse had just attained the summit of the precipice, his foot slipped, and catching hold of a loose stone, it rolled A few feet, and springing down the side of the rock with a considerable noise, fell with a loud plunge into the water of the moat. This was immediately followed by the challenge of the sentinel, who, alarmed at the noise, rushed forward with his short pike, and encountered Fitzurse and his follower, almost at the edge of the precipice. Fitzurse sprung by him, and throwing himself over the wall, rushed on, leaving Bracebridge engaged in stout war fare with the sentinel; and it was a strife of no common peril. The latter had aimed a blow with his pike at his opponent, who, with one blow of his sword, severed the head from the handle. Springing forwards, he caught Bracebridge in his arms, and grappling him closely, prevented him from making use of his sword. They were in this situation, when the other two followers of Fitzurse having ascended the rock, hastened to them to assist their comrade, when the man of the castle, dragging his antagonist to the brink of the precipice, sprung with him into the moat. They sunk and rose again, and grappled together in the water, which would have speedily put an end to the lives of both combatants, had not the man in the boat hastened to the assistance of his fellow, and joining with him in attacking his adversary, the latter soon sunk and was seen no more. ample and full revenge against the daring in-height. The footpaths formed by the natives, Sir Hugh now pressed closer on him, but the Knight, having some regard for his aged hairs, pushed him backwards with his left hand, which the surviving attendant observing, attempted to sever in two; and Sir Hugh recovering, they both again attacked him, and the combat raged as hotly as ever. The Knight now became enraged, and rushing forcibly upon them, smote down, with one blow of his gauntletted hand, the attendant, and ran Sir Hugh through the body; then casting a grim glance through the bars of his helmet, at the work of devastation around him, he leaped lightly up, and passed through the window. OBSERVATIONS Conflagrations.-The great risk and inconvenience of travelling through the long grass being much felt, the natives never fail to burn it in September or October when completely dry and withered. A voyage to the coast at this season, were it only to behold the waving lines of fire, would be amply repaid. I had the good fortune to witness a scene of this kind at Embomma, where the hills rise more abruptly from the plain than they do upon the sea coast. Being in the night time, it produced an effect, not only sublime, but terrific. When the flames reached the hills, two miles from the ship, they cast so great a light, that it was possible to read on board. The fire raged in a continuous blaze fully six miles in length, producing a noise somewhat like distant thunder; and from the Alpine nature of the ground, assuming a variety of singular shapes and extraordinary forms. I cannot but think, that the little hamlets and villages must frequently suffer on these occasions, unless that the inhabitants take On the Countries of Congo and Loango, as special care to have a sufficient space clear of in 1790.-(Continued from our last.) Fitzurse was now perceived by his followers entering a window of the castle, to which, by the help of a ladder of ropes, he had ascended. By this time the whole castle was alarmed, and the male part of its inhabitants as completely By Mr. Maxwell, author of the Letters to Mungo Park, &c. armed as the confusion of the moment would permit. Scenery.-The whole of the coast between Mayuinba in 3° 30', and Benguela Nova in 1230 south latitude, affords the most delightful prospect from the sea that can be imagined. Perpendicular red cliffs in many places skirt the shore, while the back ground consists of mountains, here, receding far inland, there, approaching the sea. Several of these moun Old Sir Hugh snatched up the broad sword that had long slumbered in its sheath, and, calling out lustily to his men at arms, rushed to the chamber of his daughter Eva. A long protracted scream, and cries for assistance now resounded from that part of the castle into which Fitzurse had disappeared, and thither they had arrived. The door was closed upon them, but this soon gave way to their tains are crowned with lofty semicircular preunited efforts, and they beheld a sight which cipices, set, as it were, in fringes of trees and caused the old fiery blood of Sir Hugh to boil shrubs; one of these to the southward of Benwith resentment. The moon was shining so gutela, from its resemblance to a hat, has been clear and bright, that every thing was as apcalled Hat hill by voyagers. In other parts, parent as if it had taken place at noon day. they are studded with pinnacles of single rock, There stood (the iron gleaming in and reflect-like monuments of Roman or Egyptian graning the beams of the moon) the armed figure of Reginald Fitzurse, supporting the inanimate form of the beautiful Eva-at his feet lay also the senseless body of the lady Mary, whom terror and astonishment, at the thoughts of losing her beloved sister, had completely overcome. Sir Hugh groaned in the bitterness of his spirit, as he saw his daughters in this pitiable situation, and had he not feared that he might wound the lady Eva in his attack upon the Knight, he would not have hesitated a moment. Reginald's turbulent and daring spirit seemed to delight in the situation in which he found himself placed, and he laughed a laugh of fierce defiance at Sir Hugh and his followers. The form of Bracebridge now appeared at the window, and, quicker than thought, springing towards him, the Knight delivered his lovely burden into that attendant's arms. During this Sir Hugh was not unoccupied; he drew back his daughter Mary, and, placing her behind, determined upon an deur. On the summit of a high hill seen from Long Grass.-To all appearance, when seen grass around their dwellings; and even then, the combustible materials of which they are built, leave them at the mercy of every falling spark. It may be remarked here, how liable they must always be, on that account, to accidents from fire. For a week or ten days after the conflagration has passed over the face of the country, nothing can be conceived more dismal and waste; but the luxuriant verdure which rapidly advances in the beginning of November when the moist weather sets in, quickly effaces every vestige of fire, and makes ample amends for the few days in which blackness and desolation kept joint possession of the earth. To these annual conflagrations, and to the effects of the ashes on the soil, must be ascribed the civilized and cultivated appearance of the country. This is the harvest of the carrion-crow, the kite, and the vulture, which keep hovering in the rear of the flames, pouncing down upon snakes, lizards, crabs, &c. destroyed by fire; and, as already mentioned, the Boa Constrictor itself, which fears no other enemy, frequently falls a victim to the fury of this irresistible foe, and becomes the prey of these rapacious birds. (To be continued.) THE VEIL OF MÀRY QUEEN of Scots. MARIA STUART has been canonized, and placed among the Martyrs by the Jesuits. Of course there are relics of her's. Her prayerbook was long shown in France; and Whitaker, her apologist, published in an English journal a sonnet which she was said to have composed, and to have written with her own hand in this book. A celebrated German actress, Mrs. Hendel-Schutz, who has excited admiration by her attitudes, and also performed Schiller's VARIETIES. CHRISTIAN PRACTICE, In the most flourishing period of the reign of Maria with great applause in several cities of tion. The Veil is embroidered with gold spangles by (as is said) the Queen's own hand, in regular rows crossing each other, so as to form small squares, and edged with a gold border, to which another border has been subsequently joined, in which the following words are embroidered in letters of gold: - "Velum Serenissimæ Mariæ, Scotia et Gallia Regina Martyris, quo induebatur dum ab Heretica ad mortem iniustissimam condemnata fuit. Anno Sal. MDLXXXVI a nobilissima, matrona Anglicana diu conservatum et tandem, donationis ergo Deo, et Societati Jesu consecratum." 1 On the plate there is an inscription, with a double certificate of its authenticity, which states, that this Veil, a family treasure of the expelled house of Stuart, was finally in possession of the last branch of that family, the Cardinal of York, who preserved it for many years in his private chapel, among the most precious relics, and at his death bequeathed it to Sir J. Hippisley, together with a valuable Plutarch, and a Codex with painted (illuminated) letters, and a gold coin struck in Scotland in the reign of Queen Mary, and it was specially consecrated by Pope Pius VII. in his palace on the Quirinal, April 29, 1818. Sir John Hippisley, during a former residence at Rome, had been very intimate with the Cardinal of York, and was instrumental in obtaining for him, when he with the other cardinals emigrated to Venice in 1798, a pension of £4000 a year from the Prince of Wales, now King George IV. but for which, the fugitive cardinal, all whose revenues were seized by the French, would have been exposed to the greatest distress. The cardinal desired to requite this service by the bequest of what he considered so valuable. According to a note on the plate, the Veil is eighty-nine English inches long and forty-three broad, so that it seems to have been rather a kind of shawl or scarf than a veil. If we remember rightly, Melville in his. Memoirs, which Schiller had read, speaks of a handkerchief belonging to the Queen, which she gave away before her death, and Schiller found upon this anecdote the well-known words of the farewell scene, addressed to Margaret Carl. Nimm di ses Tach! Ich habs mit eigner Hand - armed his adversary, and forced him to ask his New Parliamentary Practice-The Bavarian Chambers have terminated. their session with dinner; an example which, if any thing had been Harvey Aston.-The late Harvey, Aston associated Parliamentary Etiquette.-In France, under the old regime, there was an honourable distinction paid to the Tiers Elat, or, Commons, by the other two orders, very different from wha takes place in Britain. When a Royal Session occurred, the (om mons were received by the nobles and clergy stand ing and uncovered. In our parliament, when the King meets the Lords and Commons, the Commons are not permitted to sit down, but must stand below the bar. The French assume to themselves the credit of being the politest nation in the world, and this anecdote alone may suffice to vindicate their title to the distinction. Attainder. When the gallant Count de Montgomery was condemned to death by Catharine de Medicis, his children were also deprived of the title of nobles. When Montgomery heard this part have not the virtue of nobles. to retrieve this. loss, of the sentence read, he exclaimed, "If my children I consent to their degradation.” INTERVIEWS WITH A SHADE. No. I. As I stood musing over the foundations of our intended Town Hall, I fell into a train of ideas too chasm which a short period of time had made in our features of Volatile.-"I am but a shadow" said he. I do," said V," he is an eminent trades passed-he replied, that his most intimate friends man"-I observed that he did not move as he when on earth could not recognize him, now that he had undergone a change that could not exist in the traces of mortality. Were it otherwise," continued he, "there is an invincible reserve about that gentleman, which makes him accessible only to a few; and those exchanges of civility so necessary and in dispensable to society, are sometimes noticed in a " "as Neverthe manner not congenial to the respect offered by an WANDERINGS IN JUNE. The season now is all delight, And Summer's pleasures, at their height, While waking doves betake to flight While Nature's locks are wet with night,— Fast fade the vapours cool and grey; And calmly breaks the waking hums How strange a scene has come to pass The artless daisies' smiling face My wanderings find no more; The king-cups that supplied their place, To think of summers yet to come, To think a weed is yet to bloom The misty clouds of purple hue Are fading from the eye; And ruddy streaks, which morning drew, Have left a dappled sky; The sun has call'd the bees abroad, Wet with the early hour, By toiling for the honey'd load Ere dews forsake the flower. O'er yonder hill, a dusty rout Wakes solitude from sleep; Shepherds have wattled pens about, To shear their bleating sheep: Less pleasing is the public way, Traced with awaken'd toil; And sweet are woods shut out from day, The woodbines, fresh with morning hours, Left there, as when a boy, to lie Their silence answers me. While pride desires tumultuous joys, The whispering voice of woods and streams How sweet the fanning breeze is felt, The rapture reigning there. To me how sweet the whispering winds, To find the peace which freedom finds, Health breathes in every wind. Now cool, the wood my wanderings shrouds, 'Neath arbours Nature weaves, Shut up from viewing fields and clouds, The eye, no longer left to range, Yet Nature's works unnamed and strange, Things small as dust, of every dye, And flowers these darksome woodlands rear, My path now gleams with fairer light, A heath now bolts upon the sight, I love the heath, though 'mid the brakes Yet where the ground is nibbled bare I often fearless loiter there, Far from the stretch of planted groves, Whose blossoms steal the summer's breath, Here threat'ning ploughs have tried in vain Yon slope, already sown with grain, Shows Nature mocks the toil; The blue-cap there in bloom appears, And poppies, lively red. And now my footsteps sidle round And faulter now o'er marshy ground; Here horsetail, round the water's edge, What wonders strike my idle gaze, All forms and sizes swimming there, Now rising ground attempts again On this side, ash or oak embówers; Which feebly purls its rippling moans Can scarcely struggle by. Now soon shall end these musing dreams The eye that dwelt on woods and streams I love to visit Spring's young blooms I love to meet the Autumn winds JOHN CLARE. |