and satirical odes, called the Croaker Pieces, were written by him for the "Evening Post," in March, 1819; and soon after, his friend Halleck, the poet, united with him, and the pieces were signed "Croaker & Co." The last one, written by Drake, was that spirited ode, The American Flag. But THE CULPRIT FAY is that on which the fame of Drake chiefly rests, and an ever-enduring foundation will it prove to be; for a poem of more exquisite fancy-as happily conceived as it is artistically executed-we have hardly had since the days of Milton's "Comus." It opens with the gathering-"in the middle watch of a summer's night"-of countless spirits of earth from their various homes. IV. They come from beds of lichen green, They creep from the mullen's velvet screen; Some on the backs of beetles fly From the silver tops of moon-touch'd trees, Where they swung in their cobweb hammocks high, Some from the hum-bird's downy nest, They had driven him out by elfin power, And, pillow'd on plumes of his rainbow breast, Had slumber'd there till the charméd hour; Some had lain in the scoop of the rock, With glittering ising-stars inlaid; And some had open'd the four-o'clock, And stole within its purple shade. And now they throng the moonlight glade, Their little minim forms array'd In the tricksy pomp of fairy pride! They assemble for the following purpose:— V. For an Ouphe has broken his vestal vow; And left for her his woodland shade; He has lain upon her lip of dew, To the elfin court must haste away:- The hapless creature is thus condemned: VIII. "Thou shalt seek the beach of sand Thou shalt watch the oozy brine Till the sturgeon leaps in the bright moonshine, IX. "If the spray-bead gem be won, The stain of thy wing is wash'd away: Ere thy crime be lost for aye; Thy flame-wood lamp is quench'd and dark, Mount thy steed and spur him high To the heavens' blue canopy; And when thou seest shooting star, Follow it fast, and follow it far,— The last faint spark of its burning train Shall light the elfin lamp again. Thou hast heard our sentence, Fay; Hence! to the water-side, away!" The following description of his armor is one of surpassing delicacy and beauty: XXV. He put his acorn helmet on; It was plumed of the silk of the thistle-down: The corslet plate that guarded his breast Was once the wild bee's golden vest; His cloak, of a thousand mingled dyes, Was form'd of the wings of butterflies; His shield was the shell of a lady-bug queen, Studs of gold on a ground of green; And the quivering lance which he brandish'd bright, Was the sting of a wasp he had slain in fight. Swift he bestrode his fire-fly steed; He bared his blade of the bent grass blue; He drove his spurs of the cockle-seed, And away like a glance of thought he flew, Then away he goes, XXVII. Up to the vaulted firmament XXIX. Up to the cope careering swift, Oh! it was sweet, in the clear moonlight, To meet the thousand eyes of night, And feel the cooling breath of heaven! But the Elfin made no stop or stay Till he came to the bank of the milky way, And watch'd for the glimpse of the planet-shoot. He is successful in his mission, and, on his return, the myriad joyous and dancing sprites-his merry companions-thus welcome him, and then all vanish: Ouphe and Goblin! Imp and Sprite! Elf of eve! and starry Fay! Ye that love the moon's soft light, Twine ye in a jocund ring, Sing and trip it merrily, Hand to hand, and wing to wing, Round the wild witch-hazel tree. Hail the wanderer again With dance and song, and lute and lyre, Pure his wing and strong his chain, And doubly bright his fairy fire. Twine ye in an airy round, Brush the dew and print the lea; The beetle guards our holy ground, He hums in his ears and flaps his face; Shapes of moonlight! flit and fade! The cock has crow'd,-and the Fays are gon Thus ends The Culprit Fay, of the beauty of which but a faint idea can be given by any extracts; for, to be fully enjoyed, it must be read and re-read as a whole. It is a poem remarkable not only as the richest creation of pure fancy in our literature, but for its great power and absorbing interest; for, though it is divested of every human element, it interests us as deeply as if its characters were real flesh and blood. THE AMERICAN FLAG. I. When Freedom from her mountain height And set the stars of glory there. II. Majestic monarch of the cloud, Who rear'st aloft thy regal form, When strive the warriors of the storm, III. Flag of the brave! thy folds shall fly, To where thy sky-born glories burn; Heave in wild wreaths the battle-shroud, Like shoots of flame on midnight's pall; Then shall thy meteor glances glow, IV. Flag of the seas! on ocean wave Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail, Shall look at once to heaven and thee, In triumph o'er his closing eye. V. Flag of the free heart's hope and home! And all thy hues were born in heaven. Where breathes the foe but falls before us, With Freedom's soil beneath our feet, And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us! WILLIAM B. TAPPAN, 1795-1849. WILLIAM BINGHAM TAPPAN, the son of Samuel Tappan, a teacher in Beverly, Massachusetts, was born in that town in 1795. At the age of ten, he had written several pieces, which gave promise of future excellence. Losing his father when but twelve years old, he was soon after apprenticed to a clockmaker in Boston. In 1816, he removed to Philadelphia, and established himself in business there; but he soon found that this was not his sphere, and determined to devote himself to a literary life. In 1819, he published a small volume of poems, entitled New England, and other Poems, which was well received. In 1822, he was married to Miss Amelia Colton, daughter of Major Luther Colton, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and soon after this he entered, as salesman, into the Depository of the American Sunday-School Union, to which cause he devoted the rest of his life, with great enthusiasm and energy. In 1829, he was transferred to Cincinnati, to take charge of the Depository in that city, but returned to Philadelphia in 1834; and in 1838 he went to Boston to superintend the affairs of the "S. S. Union" operations in New England. In 1841, he was licensed to preach, that he might with more effect present the cause of the Sunday-school to the churches. At this time, he had published two or three volumes of poetry. In 1845 appeared Poetry of the Heart; in 1846, Sacred and Miscellaneous Poems; in 1847, |