THE VALLEY OF THE NYMPHS. 151 



ing with them, as gifts, honeycombs, rare shells, fruits, 

 incense, flowers &c. ; in return a Choir of Nymphs, a 

 Nereid, a Naiad, a Dryad, and an Oread assemble on 

 that day to receive the homage of the mortals. A very 

 sweet and pleasing scene is wrought out by the Author 

 in describing the assembling of the Nymphs and the 

 approach and homage of the Youths and Virgins ; they 

 are made to perform their vows &c., in alternate cho- 

 russes, an idea which was probably suggested by the 

 Roman Carmen Seculare. 



In the description of Natural Scenery Mr. Johns is 

 equal to Carrington, and this is saying a great deal, 

 but, in elegance of language, and in originality and 

 beauty of imagery, he is far superior to the Author of 

 Dartmoor : the poem before us does not offer any means 

 of knowing how the two writers might have ranked in 

 power ; nor how far Mr. Johns could have carried on 

 well a sustained description of scenery, such as Carring- 

 ton has done. The following passage is an exemplifi- 

 cation of our remark. 



" Down the tall mountains to the cradled vale, 

 Swept a dark cloud afforest. High above, 

 Where the grey rocks held commune with the sky, 

 The giant pines flung forth their antique boughs, 

 Hoar with eternal age. Beneath, the sides 

 Of the cleft hills were covered with the glooms 

 Of woods coeval with the infant world. 

 Shade deepening after shade, the eye was lost 

 In that superb umbrageousness ; it seemed 

 As darkness were transparent, and you saw 

 Interminable depth of glassy gloom. 

 Cork trees spread out their huge, fantastic limbs, 

 Obscuring the black crags with a fine horror. 

 The ilex reared its multitudinous leaves, 

 The sycamore its massy shade, the oak 

 Its immemorial boughs. The cedar towered 

 In glorious darkness ; the majestic palm 

 Lifted its green crown, while the aspen shook 

 Its firmament of twinkling leaves beside. 

 There the grand cypress rose, a pyramid 

 Of sablest verdure, seen among the rest, 

 As the thunder spot amid the summer clouds. 

 There waved the slender ash; and lower yet, 

 The willow dipt its long locks in the stream, 



