182 EARLY HISTORY OF GUERNSEY. 



The sister spirit gone above 



From that remaining sod, 

 Had dreamed her hope was earthly love 



And found it — with her God : — 

 Alas ! from her disordered mind 



How sad it was to hear 

 Her prayer to one, she said, too kind 



To smite the stricken deer. 



These were sole tenants ; one except, 



The untimely dead, for whom 

 They breathed no prayer, no mourner wept 



His passage to the tomb : 

 Ask thou not where among the blest 



His nameless grave be found ; 

 Enough to know his ashes rest 



Like theirs in holy ground. 



E6s. 



ON THE EARLY HISTORY OF GUERNSEY. 



LETTER II. 



GUERNSEY, THE ISLE OF SATURN. 



A LEARNED Greek, named Sylla, who was the friend of Lampri- 

 as, Plutarch's grandsire, makes mention of an ancient Gallic or 

 Breton tradition, relating to the isle of Saturn. — " Never was the 

 like seen in the isle of Saturn and of heroes," was formerly a Welch 

 proverb ; but no person has, as yet, demonstrated the existence of 

 this island in the English channel ; although the learned are well 

 aware that the emperor Claudius came within sight of it during 

 his fortnight's voyage to the shores of England more than 1790 

 years ago. 



There are various accounts extant of an island in our neighbour- 

 hood, formerly celebrated for its sanctity ; in the sixth century it 

 was peopled by the Bretons, who were then under the dominion of 

 the French. We shall at present confine our attention to two of 

 these accounts, commencing with that given by Sylla, which, by the 

 way, I have been obliged to abridge considerably. The three isles 

 of Heroes lie to the North West of Ogygia ;* they are at equal dis- 



* In the ancient Coptic tongue, Ogi/gia means the Isle ; it would 

 appear to be the same with that peninsula which our forefathers 



