TRUANT FANCIES. 85 



June 26th and July 3rd. — The Rev. B. St. John's Lectures 

 on Khetoric. 



The Rev. B. St. John delivered two very able and excellent 

 lectures on Rhetoric ; they were read to the Society in the winter 

 session, and will be found noticed amongst our reports, in volume 

 2nd, page 167, and volume 3rd, page 124. 



TRUANT FANCIES. 



Seemed to me an idle child, 

 Wandered on through hawthorns wild, 

 Darting all around his arrows 

 At men's hearts as they were sparrows ; 

 Leaving then his bow and quiver 

 He slept on blue bells near the river : — 

 Wakes anon, and, woe the day, 

 Both are stolen by Rosa Grey ! — 

 Now with tears Love's eyes o'errun, 

 Tears like ice drops in the sun ; 

 And the hawthorn berries pine 

 For his blush incarnadine. 



O'er the visionary range 

 Fancy drew a sudden change ; 

 Turned to age that stripling blythe. 

 Changed his arrows to a scythe ; 

 For his antics placed a scowl 

 Hidden half by a friar's cowl. 

 He had power o'er all the earth ; 

 From the infant at its birth 

 To the verge of this life's span, — 

 All things withered at his ban 

 Maid, unsafe in Love's own bower. 



Trembled if the figure past, 

 Warrior, from embattled tower, 



Saw him flitting on the blast. 

 And his quick eye and panting breath 

 Hung on the i>hadow\ course : — 'twas Death ! 



Eos. 



