her,' taking me by the arm; and before my companion could prevent it we were in the adjoining room. Oh, what a scene was here! Upon a couch lay the beautiful, the accomplished, the amiable Matilda a living corpse! There is a certain stupefaction of the intellect, occasioned by a sudden depression from the height of joy to the abyss of sorrow, which can only be compared to death; and such was her case now. My conductress, whose senses were much disordered, pushed me towards the couch. I stood-I gazed-alive to feeling, but as it were alive in marble, so fettered was every faculty of the body. She had shown no signs of returning, animation, except her breath; her eyes were open, glazed, and fixed. They were towards me, and unconsciously I raised my hand which held the portrait to my face. A momentary flash of recollection seemed to return; she suddenly sprung up, grasped my arm, snatched the fatal picture, gazed wistfully upon itHark?' said she; then, reclining her head upon her bosom, murmured her lover's name, and breathed her last!

On! lovely's the rose, when nearly in blossom,
And sweet the fair flow'ret which decks the hawthorn,
But lovelier far thy young blooming bosom,

And brighter thy smile than the blush of the morn. Ah! gracefully flow thy fair auburn tresses,

And light is the glance of thy gay beaming eye,

Oh! may it never, for future distresses,

Cause thy bosom to heave with a care-worn sigh. Sophia! thou'rt young, and the flutter of joy,

Which entwines round thy light heart soon will give

way

To a feeling more tender, a feeling more coy,

A passion which keeps other passions in sway. Yes, then let the tear of affection shine bright,

Thy young bosom swell with the soft sigh of love, When thy true one kneels low, ah! do not him slight, Let the blush of a fond heart his love then approve.

ASKILL.

THE EXILE.

'Twas silence all: and Nature's self was hush'd;
Save, where the screech-owl from the turret top,
Hooted her hideous note; and the hoarse roar
Of waters down the cataract below
Disturb'd the silence of the midnight hour.

Alone, in pensive melancholy wrapt,
Upon a rugged cliff the wand'rer stood :
Stern was his look, and haggard was his brow;
And in those cheeks, where erst the ruddy bloom
Of youth had reign'd, now, o'er his lengthen'd visage,
Decrepit Age, with slowly-stealing pace,
There ghastly held dominion; yet he seem'd
A wreck of fallen greatness; like a flower
Which blossoms for a day, then comes a frost,
A killing frost, that nips the early shoot.

'Oh, exile! worse than death,' the stranger cried
In bitt'rest accents, 'oh! that I might perish,
Rather than live the scorn of enemies.
And oh! thou fair enchantress, to what height,
Dizzy Ambition! didst thou hurry me ;
And see how fall'n! Soaring too high, I fell.
Thus some tall oak, upon the mountain top,
Fell'd by the woodman's axe, which rebel winds
Shook from its deep foundation on the earth.
While bends the light reed, shrinking from the storm
Unhurt, uninjured by the wintry blast.

The peasant, happy, in contentment bred',
But little heeds the pomp and show of courts;
While I alone must be a wretched creature,
The sport of enemies. It cannot be !
Now is the tempest to my soul, and now,
This day shall plunge me to eternity!'
With this aloft above his head he waved
The instrument of death; it trembling fell-
Again he seiz'd the blade: with look aghast
He scowl'd a smile of melancholy scorn,

And dar'd the dagger's point-and sunk to death!
F. S. W-
--S.

THE OLD COAT.

Well did he write, and mickle did he know,
That said the World's felicity was woe.

Anthony Munday's Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington.
Life is a frost of cold felicitie,

And deth the thaw of all our vanitie.

Christolero's Epigrams.

Ir cannot be it cannot be ;--and yet it must,' said an aged voice in tones of bitter suffering and woe:'I shall expire with shame ;-but, it must be done, or I must lay down my life on these stones, and let the giddy, heedless feet of the passengers, trample on my stiffened corse. Oh, Edward! my poor boy!'

The evening had been unusually beautiful for a London autumn; nature appeared in one of her gayest and happiest dispositions; the fading sun which glittered in the west of the metropolis, shone through a cloud of distant rain, like the beams of Hope expiring in the tears of Care. I had wandered out to enjoy the refreshing air, and was loitering through Holborn, when my attention was drawn to the above pitiable lamentation.

་

He was seated upon the steps of one of those numerous houses of convenience to the poor and needy, which infest all parts of London, and vulgarly termed, My Uncle's.' He seemed to be about seventy years of age; his silvery locks, the few inheritors of his woes, fluttered despondingly in the autumnal gale :-hat, he had none, and his threadbare coat was lying in his lap, to all appearance, the object of his soliloquy. Curiosity and compassion at once prompted me to watch the motions of the aged sufferer, and I determined, immediately, within myself, to assist him,—if his necessities came within the compass of my pittance.

How much,' continued he, will they advance upon thee, my old and patient friend? And am I at last obligated to part with thee;-must thou give food as well as warmth to thy master;-and shall we both live on for a little while-neglected and uncared for? I cannot starve, and I must have bread,' he exclaimed, in a voice of intense agony, at the same time rushing into the shop, immediately followed by me.

The shopman, seeing a person whose appearance and garb bespoke a customer of more consequence, left the man of sorrow to attend to me; and I, that I might have some object to lull suspicion, tumbled over some articles of second-hand jewellery.

"I want-I wish,' said the stranger; 'I wish,'--he could get no further, the tears gushed from his aching eyes, and checked the utterance of his desire. The coat still hung on his arm as if it dreaded to part with its old possessor, and seemed to say, I have served thee, master, like a faithful servant, and would wish to end my days in thy service; but if thy sorrows compel thee to part with me, do not shed a tear at my loss-as I am happy in administering to thy comfort.'

'Come, come,' said the puppy of a shop-boy, I can't wait here, while you are lamenting the loss of your coat; for I presume it is that you wish to pledge. Here, hand it over, and let me see what it is worth.'

Worth!' sobbed the old man. Oh, young man, I know its value well, and, but for the most urgent necessity, nothing could induce me to dispose of it.'

Humph! very likely. What loan do you want upon it?'

་

'Do you think,' replied the stranger, 'ten shillings-' 'Ten, !' said the fellow. Where do you suppose I am to get the sum you ask out of this threadbare rag? If you like to take five-and even that sum is too much; but as you appear to be old, and in trouble, why, I'll e'en be charitable for once, and give it you. What say you?'

I suppose I must take it,' he stammered in reply, I dare say, you are very good, very charitable.'

'Curse on his charity!' I ejaculated. 'Give back the coat,' I continued, I will advance the sum to this poor man; put thy coat on again, and let not the biting winds of the night chill the little life thou hast left.'

'What!' exclaimed he, frantic with joy, and sinking at my feet; is there a being who has heart enough to assist a poor old man in his distress. I, I, I,'

Rise,' said I; this is no posture for one of thy age.'

Gratitude was too much for the feelings of the stranger; and he fell at my feet, exhausted with his cares.

With some little difficulty he was conveyed to my house, where he received every attention from my housekeeper, who administered to all his wants with the kindness and affection so illustrative of woman.

After a lingering and severe illness of a month, he gradually recovered; and one morning, when he appeared more tranquil than usual, he related the eventful history of his life.

'I was,' said he, a farmer of considerable substance in Buckinghamshire: my wife-heaven rest her soul!-though to me she was ever a kind and affectionate help-mate, yet to her I may impute my woe. She had been educated in a manner somewhat superior to the line of life she was destined to walk in; and, possessing a handsome and engaging person, she naturally, with the inherent weakness of woman, flattered herself on the flowers which bountiful Nature had lavished on her. However, I have nothing to complain of so far as regards myself: ours, my good sir, was the tie of affection, for at that period I could toss and wrestle with the strongest and most active man in the country round. And so it was I gained her heart, and won her hand; but enough of this. A boy and a girl were the only children we were blessed with, and happy had it been for me had they never seen the day. Their mother, on whom I doated with such fondness, that, in the weakness of mortal man, I committed to her hands the education of my babes, and she, full of the idea that they would, at some future period of their lives, move in a sphere very distant from that which they were heirs to, spoilt them with a brilliant education, tending to canker the better feelings of the heart. Happy for me had I made him a ploughman, and given him a good yeoman's education-the staff and support of the British constitution, and the protection of our holy religion.

'Edward, whom I looked forward to as the prop and stay in my descent in life, grew up a handsome youth,