MERLIN. 21^3 



rises the beautiful cone of Berwick Law, here ti.e 

 rounded eminence of Traprain ; beyond Haddington the 

 undulated ridge of the Garlton Hilb. All these, with 

 the isles and mountains before observed, you perceive 

 are igneous or trap rocks while the plains through 

 which they protrude belong to the " coal formation,' 

 or to some formation the precise station of which seems 

 to puzzle those ingenious people, the geologists, who 

 are perpetually building worlds and pulling them to 

 pieces. The blaze of the eastern sky becomes more 

 intense. Anon a flood of light streams from the edge 

 of the ocean, and now emerging from the deep, slowly 

 and steadily mounts the great orb of day, until at length 

 it clears the horizon, and rolls upwards into the heavens, 

 a glory, on the full splendour of which your eyes are no 

 more fitted to gaze than your intellect is to contemplate 

 the perfections of its Maker. Now, just recollect all 

 the beauties of the ancient mythology ; fancy to your- 

 self Apollo rising from the lap of Thetis, or " Dan Sol," 

 with his golden-wheeled chariot and fiery steeds, and 

 think for a moment what a contemptible figure they 

 make compared with that sun which now advances 

 " rejoicing like a strong man to run a race," that ocean 

 which blazes with light, and that sky suffused with all 

 glorious tints, from the intense brightness of its eastern 

 region to the crimson of the light clouds that hover 

 over the frith, and the purple blue of the western hills. 

 Joy spreads over nature. The lark carols in the sky, 

 the mavis pours forth his mellow song from the hill, 

 the plover whistles shrill on the moor, the plaint of the 

 lapwing comes from the bog beneath, and hear ! — was 

 it thunder ? — no — hear ! — from far overhead comes tiio 



