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of themes which then trevailed, its displayed the pomp of chivalry and religion, and lent its fascinating aid in sounding the praises of religious war bufare, and in setting forth the glory of the crusades against the infidels Such were the motives of the priests in encouraging poetry. Every other kind of literature, save the tales of Romance, was destroyed with the same recklessness and barbarism which actuated the overwhelmers of the Ro-and tremendous combinations of the man Empire. But the motives were European against the Infidel nations, in every sense more dishonourable and depraved A total insensibility to the value of what they destroyed was that which drew down the rage of the last but of the first, the true inducement was an oblique and crafty policy has policy founded on obtaining an universal dosnew era in politics and morals and a minion over the consciences of men, sort of barrier between that disinal era alto obtam which, it did not scruple too which immediately followed the subacrifice the glorious, relies which even version of the Roman Empires and Gothic barbarism had spared. That that no less gloomy period which came poetry did not suffer in its spirit durs immediately after. The first may be ing these troubled periods, we can termed the gothic era, the second the readily believe from the specimens hand- era of popery The Crusades gave ed down to us The taste of the rise to chivalry, and chivalry by operminstrel suffered without doubt the ating on the imagination, produced a Bidgeneral vitiation of the age. His mind new era in poetry. The knights of was not chastened down to the per-that age did not fight for plunder, but ception of simple beauty alone. In the for honour and this honour was to gothic period, strength, not unmixed be obtained by their exertions in the with ardent tenderness, prevailed. cause of religion, virtue and beauty. There was then no known model of ancient excellence td found a system upon. These were lost sight of and hid in the general ignorance. The mind of man, as yet rude, was obliged to trust its unaided exertions, and to depend for effect upon its native fire Vigorous and uncourteous, it felt few of the finer emotions, and was naturrally disposed to strength, by the enenergetic scenes which it beheld Hence the flaming heroic character of the ancient gothic poetry: hence the energy and intense feeling which charpha I no to fogad da so

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be discovered even yet, the spirit and feeling of their originals. It is impossible to conceive a time better adapted than this for the exercise of poetic talent a time pregnant with the highest achievments, when the sardour of achievment urged men on, to deeds almost super-human, when every knight was a warrior, and every warrior a hero. A certain delicacy of feeling unknown before, was then established; and while honourable sentiments sprung up, the fair sex met with courtesy and attention..

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modern Germany and in them may Virgil. He arose when Rome was at its pinnacle of glory, and sung of arms and empire. His strain was full of his native land; full of expec tation at her future greatness, and beaming with the glow of heroism, which warmed every rank of society. Appearing in the thirteenth century, when the densest clouds of ignorance obscured the human mind, Dante at tuned his mysterious lyre to themes of religion; he follows a path untrode before, and almost unattempted since. Hell, Paradise, and Purgatory were his themes. To probability of inci The ardour of war, of religion and dent he paid no attention. This was gd of love, stimulated the poet, and raised indeed universally disregarded by the a flame of enthusiasm in his mind. poets of this romantic age. Nordid he Where praise and honour were the regard more, the conduct of the precertain rewards of bravery, and where ceding poets. As original as Homer, a devotion to the cross of Christ en- he wove a wondrous poem of his own sured unfading laurels, there were not construction. He is however little Wanting enthusiasts, who aspired at studied, even in his native land. His such distinctions; nor were poets writings have been lately translated se wanting to sing their praises; whence into English with great talent by Cary, Sarose many of the loftiest efforts of but few, very few are to be met with, genius, and that turn for the wild and who have explored the mysterious romantic existing in those perturbed creations of this astonishing poet ages. It was then that Dante, Ariosto, In the fifteenth century mankind had to and Tasso arose, and whether in true rapidly improved: Petrarch wrote hist fervour of genius, in grandeur of ima- incomparable sonnets, and Boccacio ogination, in pathos or description, they his exquisite romances, but the glories may stand a parallel with the greatest of the age were Tasso and Ariostos bards of ancient or modern times. of these we cannot speak at present If we except Shakespeare and Milton but we shall shortly endeavour to give ad the world has produced no such poets a sketch of the Orlando Furioso of since their time, and if four or five of the latter. aol raw codove the ancients be set aside, there has mila, da ni bi preceded them none with whom itindo a shut o lo hair would not be doing them injustice to us an institute a comparison. Many perhaps 5 will go the length of saying that Vir-In the course of a tour that I once bagi and Homer in the ancient world, are alone their equals.pe lo svoThat the different forms of government in Italy gave a turn to its poetry there cannot be a doubt. If we look back to the happy era of Augustus, we may cast a glance on the poetry of

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ANNETTE DELARBREI

made in Lower Normandy, I remained's
for a day or two at the old town of
Honfleur, which stands near the mouthw
of the Seine. It was the time of
fete, and all the world was thronging
in the evening to dance at the fair, held a
before the Chapel of our Lady of

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antry of Normandy, and her blue eyes had a singular and melanchol expresThe chapel of our Lady of Grace sion. She was accompanied by is a favourite resort of the inhabitants venerable-looking man, whom I pre-T of Honfleur and its vicinity, both for sumed to be her father. There was pleasure and devotion. At this little a whisper among the by-standers, and chapel, prayers are put up by the a wistful look after her as she passed mariners of the port previous to their the young men touched their hats i voyages, and by their friends during and some of the children followed her their absence and votive offerings are at a little distance, watching her movehung about its walls, in fulfillment of ments. She approached the edge of vows made during times of shipwreck the hill, where there is a little platform, and disaster. The chapel is surround from whence the people of Honfleur ed by trees. On a level spot near the look out for the approach of vessels. chapel, under a grove of noble trees, Here she stood for some time waving the populace dance on fine summer her handkerchief, though there was evenings; and here are held frequent nothing to be seen But two or three fairs and fetes, which assemble all the fishing boats, like mere specks on the rustic beauty of the loveliest parts of bosom of the distant ocean. wyboold Lower Normandy. The present was ao These circumstances excited my an occasion of the kind. Booths and curiosity, and I made some inquiries noit tents were erected among the trees about her, which were answered with there were the usual displays of finery readiness and intelligence by a priest lad to tempt the rural coquette, and of of the neighbouring chapel. Our conwonderful shews to entice the curious; versation drew together, several of the mountebanks were exerting their elo-by-standers, each of whom had some bu quence; jugglers and fortune-tellers thing to commumicate, and from them astonishing the credulous; while whole all I gathered the following particulars.

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As she was a rural heiress, she did not want for suitors. Many advanta geous offers were made her, but she refused them all. She laughed at the te It was a heavy loss to his widowed pretended pangs of her admirers, and mother, for he was her only pride and triumphed over them with the caprice comfort; but it was one of those of buoyant youth and consciousbeauty. bereavements which mothers were per-With all her apparent levity however, petually doomed to feel in France, could any one have read the story of during the time that continual and her heart, they might have traced in it. 176.2 bloody wars were incessantly draining some fond remembrance of her early her youth. It was a temporary afflic-playmate, not so deeply graven as to tion also to Annette, to lose her lover. be painful, but too deep to be easily With tender embraces, half childish, obliterated, and they might have nohalf womanish, she parted from him, ticed, amidst all her gafety, the tender The tears streamed from her blue eyes ness that marked her manner towards as she bound a braid of her fair hair the mother of Eugene. She would round his wrist; but the smiles still often steal away from her youthful op broke through; for she was yet to companions and their amusements, to feel how serious a thing is separation, pass whole days with the good w and how many chances there are, when dow; listening to her fond talk about parting in this wide world, against our her boy, and blushing with secret plea

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