THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 21 



Trained up as we have been, in the ardent 

 love of liberty, and a reverence for its name, we 

 were early taught to extend our abhorrence of 

 captivity to the poor birds and other animals, 

 which children are often permitted to cage and 

 fetter at their will. The consequence is, that 

 even now we have little charity for bird-catchers, 

 and little sympathy with bird-keepers; but of 

 all the imprisoned birds we have ever seen, none 

 have appeared to us so forlorn and melancholy 

 as a caged eagle a monarch in captivity. 



THE IMPRISONED EAGLE. 



Oh ! 'twas a mean and dastard thing 

 To bind the mountain-eagle's wing : 

 A tyrant's forge the fetters framed, 

 And tyranny the deed proclaimed! 

 My spirit sickens when I see 

 That noble bird in his misery. 



Break, break, the kingly eagle's chain. 



And give him to the skies again. 



His powerful wing that nature gave, 

 Sublime o'er mountain tops to wave, 

 Far sailing round the loftiest peak, 

 The home of princely sires to seek ; 

 That powerful wing now drooping low, 

 Folds round him like a robe of woe. 

 O break the kingly eagle's chain, 

 And give him to the skies again. 



