1824.] Original Poetry » 235 



titude of treason and perfidy, which a genuine love for humanity, without 



iuciude every other vice and crime; which neither patriotism nor public vir- 



proudly pouring contempt on the useful tue can exist, seldom or never seems to 



citizen, and his limited sphere of action; be in flower, or bears only blossoms, 



dreading virtue in the prince, or what in that situation." Montesquieu here 



may only be a susjiicion or imitation of tells his readers, in plain honest terms, 



it, an accidental similarity ; pronouncing what he thinks; but do not we oftener 



censures on the great and good, whose find the times more to blame than the 



merits have received the stamp of pub- men? Courts undoubtedly give birth 



lie opinion, &c. These remarks are not to essential Improvements in the art of 



meant to embrace the entire mass of acquiring the language and philosophy 



individuals bounded within the circle of of polished manners, 

 a court ; but I everywhere observe, that 



ORIGINAL POETRY. 



BERNARD'S ADDRESS to his ARMY; 



A Ballad from the Spanish. 



BY GEORGE OLAUS BORROW. 



"PRESHLY blew the morning breeze, 

 -■■ When, with all bis Leonese, 

 Bernard went in war-array. 

 To impede the Frenchman's way, 



Who Iiad come o'er hill and dale, 

 Urg'd by false Alfonso's tale. 

 To procine for him the throne,— 

 Just as if it were his own. 



Not with yonder dastard train. 

 But with Bernard rests our strain ; 

 Who, in accents deep and strong. 

 Thus address'd the assembled throng : 

 " Deck'd with buckler, — bearing brand, — 

 Here like valiant men you stand, 

 For your country, — for your lives, — 

 For your king, — and for your wives. 

 " If we fly, to-morrow's dawn 

 Sees our offspring led in scorn, 

 And with servile fetters bound 

 By some haughty Gallic hound, 



"Who will strip, with forward glee, 

 All the hearings from our tree ; 

 And the lilies of his line 

 In their place will proudly shine. 



" Shall the mountain, hill, and wood. 

 Where our father's sires stood. 

 Now for lack of hearts and hands 

 Fall a prey to foreign bands. 

 " He who with his single lance 

 Fears to meet three sons of France, 

 I^et him turn ; with those that stay 

 Still I trust to win the day. 

 " I myself, this very hour. 

 Here en^'age to fight with four. 

 And to chase them o'er the plain 

 To their country back again.'' 



ORIGINAL LATIN VERSES; 



BV DR. JORTIN. 



QvM.is per nemorum trlgra silentia, 

 Vallesque iniquas, et virides domes 

 Serpit fons placidus murmure languido, 

 Secretum pcragens iter, 



2 



Flexas per patnos circumagens aquas 

 Paulum ludit agros, et simulat fugani 

 Donee prajcipiti jam pede difluas, 



Misoetur gremo maris : 

 Talis per tacitam devia semitum 

 Actas diffugiat non opibus gravis 

 Non experta fori jurgia turbidi aut 

 Palmae sanguinem decus 

 Cumque instant tenebrae, et lux brevis 



occidit 

 Et ludo satura, et fena laboribus 

 Sonini frater iners membra jacentia 



Componat gclidamanu. 



TRANSLATION; 



By the late Edward Forster, esq. 

 As thro' the shadowy silence of the groves, 

 The water'd valleys and the green re- 

 treats, 

 The gentle brook with languid murmur 

 roves, 

 Ere yet its secret journey it completes. 

 Winding its devious current, pausing plays 

 Thro' fields paternal, still delights to 

 creep. 

 Until, with step precipitate, it strays 



To plunge into the bosom of the deep. 

 Thro' silent paths so may my varying life 

 Pass gently on, — to wealth no sordid 

 slave; 

 Unknown the wrangling bar's tumultuous 

 strife; 

 Unknown the blood-stain'd honours of 

 the brave ; 

 And when approaching evening's darken'd 

 gloom. 

 With pleasure sated,orvvith toil oppress'd, 

 MaySleep's calm brother,in the silent tomb, 

 With his cool hand compose my limbs 

 to rest. 



ON SPRING. 



Translated from the Greek Idyllium of 



Meleager. 



While far retiring Winter leads his train. 



Spring laughs, empurpled with her flowers 



again ; 

 The dark-brown earth with brightest 



greens is crown'd. 

 The forest waves its leafy ringlets round ; 



Tlie 



