386

Original Poetry.-Leslie's Illustrations of the Waverley Tales.

"Rose Cottage" was inscribed, its name to dub; As camel's paunch for ten days drink is hollow'd The green door look'd particularly well

Pick'd out with blue to match the tub.
The children round about were smitten

Whene'er they stopp'd to fix their eye on
The flaming knocker, ('twas a Lion);
Beneath it was a large brass knob,
And on a plate above was written
**MRS. ROSE GROB."

Here she resided free from strife,
Except perpetual scolds with Betty,
For the main objects of her life
Were two-and form'd her daily trade,
To cram herself, and starve her maid-
For one no savings were too petty,
For t'other no tit-bit too nice,
After her dinner, in a trice,

She lock'd the fragments up in towels;
She weigh'd out bread, and cheese, and butter,
And in all cases show'd an utter

Disregard for Betty's bowels;

As if in penance for her sins

She made her dine on shanks and shins,

(Was ever such a stingy hussey!) And reckoned it a treat to give her Half a pound of tripe or liver,

First cutting off a slice for Pussey;→→→ Nay, of all perquisites the damsel stripping She wouldn't even let her sell the dripping!

No wonder Betty's unreplenish'd maw

Vented itself in constant grumbling, Which was in fact her stomach's rumbling Reduced to words, and utter'd from her jaw. But not content with this, the maid

Took all the advantages within the law,

(And some without, I am afraid),
So as to balance her forlorn condition,
And get full payment for her inanition.

The washing week approach'd :—an awful question
Now agitated Rose, with pangs inhuman,

How to supply the Mammoth-like digestion
Of that carniverous beast-a washerwoman!

So their's takes in at once a ten day's munching; At twelve o'clock you hear them say they've swallowed

Nothing to speak of since their second luncheon, And as they will not dine till one,

"Tfs time their third lunch were begun.

At length provisions being got-all proper,

And every thing put out, starch, blue, soap, gin
A fire being duly laid beneath the copper,
The clothes in soak all ready to begin,
Up to her room the industrious Betty goes,
To fetch her sheets, and screams down stairs to Rose
La, goodness me! why here's a job!

You ha'n't put out a second pair.
No more I have, said Mrs. Grob,

Well, that's a good one, I declare !
Sure, I've the most forgetful head-

And there's no time to air another!
So take one sheet from off your bed,

And make a shift to night with t'other.

On Rose's part this was a ruse de guerre,
To save th' expense of washing half a pair,-
But as the biter's sometimes bitten,

So in this instance it occurr'd,
For Betty took her at her word,
And, with the bright conception smitten,
Sat up all night, and with good thrift
Of needle, scissors, thimble, thread,

Cut up one sheet into a shift,

And took the other off the bed!
Next morn when Mrs. Grob, at three o'clock,
Went up to call the maid,

And saw the mischief done by aid
Of scissors, thread, and needle-
There's no describing what a shock
It gave her to behold the sheet in tatters;
And so by way of mending matters,

She call'd her thief, and slut, and jade,
And talk'd of sending for the Beadle!
La! Ma'am, quoth Betty, don't make such a pother,
I've only done exactly what you said,
Taken one sheet from off the bed,
And made a shift to-night with t'other!

(Lit. Gaz.)

NEW SERIES OF ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE WAVERLEY NOVELS.

THIS
HIS series consists of twelve Plates
engraved by Heath, Rolls, Rom-
ney, Portbury, and Mitchell, from
original Drawings by Leslie. They
are of various degrees of merit; but
as a whole very honourable to the de-
signer, and to those who have multipli-
ed his conception on the copper. Mr.
Leslie possesses two qualities rarely
combined, grace and humour: thus
many of his forms are lovely, and
where the subject suits, they are almost
always drolly characteristic. His ex-
pression, at the same time, never degen-

erates into caricature, but just conveys a sense of the ludicrous, without lapsing into burlesque or exaggeration.

We shall enumerate his present Designs in their order.

1. Flora in the Glen of Glennaquoich ; Waverley-A sweet female, but rather pretty for the impassioned enthusiast. Her companion is in a fine attitude;-the harp too cumbrous and heavy to be capable of transport by female strength. The scenery appropriate, though the freedom of the tree is not accompanied by equal truth in the

waterfall.

2. Mac Ivor warned by the Grey Spirit; the Same.-Has nothing peculiar to recom

mend it; but the moonlight on the Spirit, and its shadowy fading into a baseless vision at the lower extremities, are happily conceived. Mac Ivor's position is commonplace, his drapery stiff, and his limbs out of proportion.

3. Meg Merrilies compelling Dominie Sampson to eat; Guy Mannering. The head of the Gipsy fine, and the terror of the Dominie well expressed.

4. The Antiquary incensed at the Intrusion on his Sanctum Sanctorum; The Antiquary. A good scenic effect, and the accessories, especially a Helmet with its eyes wide open, humourously chosen. The stick of the angry virtuoso about to descend in pointed fury, and the astonished look of the inconscious offender, convey a full sense of their relative feelings according with the description of the author.

5. Dousterswivel and Eddie Ochiltree; The Antiquary; cannot be so praised; yet the old beggar is a good figure.

6. Francis Osbaldistone and Diana Vernon in the Library; Rob Roy.-Nothing can surpass the beauty and sweetness of these figures. The heroine is of a softer loveliness than as represented in the Novel, but the whole is so exquisitely graceful as to claim the highest panegyric. The armour hanging up seems to us to be too small, if we were inclined to dwell on little blemishes.

7. The Black Dwarf at the Tomb of his affianced Bride; Black Dwarf.-Another admirable conception, and replete with imagination. The frightful figure of the Dwarf is contrasted with the mortal beauty of the tomb in a most affecting manner. The design of the monument itself is very pathetic, and might serve as a model for the sculptor whence to execute a work of art of the purest order.

3. King Charles II. saluting Lady Bellenden; Old Mortality.—A subject the very reverse of the foregoing. The easy gal lantry of the King, the delighted dignity of the Lady, and the half-suppressed simper

ing of her Damsels, are admirably pourtrayed. The countenance of Lady B. is all that could be wished. You see it is a kiss that will never be forgotten.

9. Effie Deans and her Sister in the Tolbooth; Heart of Mid-Lothian.-In this Mr. Leslie has out-Timanthesed Timanthes, for he has hidden all the faces of the characters. The painter of Sicyon only covered one head, the agony of which he deemed to be beyond expression; but that the fancy of concealing every feature, and allowing us nothing but two arms, one ear, hair, and the bodily forms, to convey the sentiment of a scene of suffering, is a wise expedient,we are not ready to acknowledge.

10. Jenny before the Queen (same Novel,) is a very different and very superior performance. Her entreating attitude, petite figure, Scotch look, and national costume, are excellent. It is impossible not to be moved by such a pleader; and the stateliness of the Queen is gently yielding to her surprise and humanity.

11. The Ominous Incident at the Mermaiden's Fountain; Bride of Lammermuir. A thing of charming romance and interest. The figures are full of spirit and gracefulness; and the scene exquisitely painted, even to the disjointed stone of the ancien! fountain.

12. Dalgetty and Ronald of the Mist escaping through the Chapel; Legend of Montrose.-Another characteristic and excellent piece; finishing a series in which if we have pointed out some slight imperfections, we are nevertheless bound to say of it altogether, that it is not unworthy of the Volumes it has been invented to adorn.

As literary news, we may appropriately add here, that these Illustrations are published with a Miniature Edition of the Novels and Tales; and one of the most beautiful works that has ever issued from Ballantyne's justly-celebrated press.

(New Mon. Dec.)

HARP OF ZION.-NO, II.

THE SONG OF DEBORAH.

Os the wing of the whirlwind Jehovah hath past,
And the turrets of Harosheth shook to the blast,
And the mountains of Edom were crumbled to dust,

As the lightnings of wrath on their proud foreheads burst!

The Canaanite came like the grasshopper down

Like the grasshopper now that the tempest hath strewn-
And the pride and the pomp of his battle array
Hath past like the chaff in the tempest away!
Oh proudly the war-horse was pawing the plain
And proud was the boast of the warrior-train!
But the red-star in Heaven hath wither'd their force,
And Kishon hath swept them away in his course!
And his bride look'd forth from her latticed tower,
When the soft dew was sinking on tree and on flower;
And she thought as the gust of the night-wind swept by,
'Twas Sisera's chariot in triumph drew nigh.

And she watch'd till the last dim star of the night
Had faded away in the morning light-

"Why tarry his chariot-wheels thus ?" she cried,
"O haste with thy spoils to the arms of thy bride!"

But far from his bridal bower away,

In the tent of the stranger proud Sisera lay

With the dust for his couch-and the worm at his side,-
All headless he lies-he hath Death for his bride!

W. C.

TALES OF HUMOUR, GALLANTRY, AND ROMANCE.*

(Lit. Gaz. Nov.)

THE publisher of these Tales distinguishes himself, even among the leading Bibliopoles of the day, by the peculiar neat and tasteful style in which he produces his volumes-Nor, generally speaking, are we less pleased with the literary portion of the work. The romantic division is perhaps rather deficient; but the translator has performed a grateful office in weeding the

Italian Novel of its pruriency, and giv ing the public a selection of this class, which will not offend while it creates laughter, nor pollute while it amuses.

The Tales are seventeen in number. Belphagor is a merry tale, which we shall insert entire,-and The Skeleton in every House is so short, and so pretty a moral lesson, that we transfer that also as a contrast.

BELPHAGOR.

"We find in the ancient records of Florence, that a holy man, whose life was, in after years, celebrated for sanctity, being one night deeply engaged in meditation, fell into a dream, and saw numbers of the souls of wretched mortals, who had died under the displeasure of the gods, and inhabited the dark regions of Pluto, complaining, or at least most part of them, of having been driven to such misery by marriage; the which greatly surprised Minos, Radamanthus, and other infernal judges, as they did not credit those falsehoods against the sex. But these complaints increasing daily, after informing Pluto of it, it was resolved to hold a council of all the infernal deities upon what might be best to do, in order to ascertain the truth of the case. These being called to council, Pluto spoke in the following manner :- Although, my dearly beloved, by celestial power and irrevocable fate, I possess this realm, and am wholly unaccountable to any celestial or mortal being, yet as it is more wise to listen to the opinions of others, I have resolved to take your advice in a case that might eventually be of great dishonour to our empire; all the souls of men

that come into our infernal kingdom,
say that their wives are the cause of it;
this appearing impossible to us, we
therefore fear that in passing sentence
on this subject, we may, perhaps, be
accused of too much cruelty, or of not
being sufficiently severe, and unfriend-
ly to justice; being desirous to avoid
both these charges, we have called up-
on you for your advice and assistance,
in order that this realm may remain, as
it ever hath been, without disgrace.'
It appeared to all the infernal lords that
it was a most momentous case, and
they unanimously agreed that it ought
to be sifted to the very bottom, but dis-
agreed about the means and manner of
carrying the investigation into effect;
some of them were of opinion that one
of them should be sent into the world,
in the shape of a man, to ascertain per-
sonally the truth; but of the majority
decreeing that some one should be sent,
they decided upon the former opinion.
No one being inclined to take this busi-
ness upon himself, it was settled that
chance should determine, the which
fell to the lot of the arch-devil Belpha-
gor, who, before he was kicked out of
heaven, was called archangel; he,
though against his will, was compelled

* Translated from the Italian. With 16 illustrative Drawings, by George Cruikshank. London 1825.

by Pluto's power to accept the office, and prepared to do that which the council should determine, and bound himself to such compacts, as had solemnly been stipulated between them; the which were, that he who should be deputed should immediately receive a hundred thousand ducats, with which he was to come into the world with the features of a man-take to him a wife-live ten years with her then, feigning death, should return; and, by his own experience, prove to his superiors what are the sorrows and comforts of the married state. It was moreover fixed that he should be subject to all the misfortunes and all the evils incident to man-that of poverty, imprisonment, diseases, and other calamities which men draw on themselves, unless he could extricate himself from them by deceit or cunning, -Belphagor, having assumed the man, and taken the cash, came into the world, and, after having ordered his horses and attendants, he made cheerfully towards Florence, the which city he chose in preference to any other, as the one where roguery and usury were most likely to thrive; and, taking the name of Roderigo, he hired a house in the Borgo d'Ogrissanti. In order that they might not imagine who he was, he gave out that he had quitted Spain, when very young, and going to Syria, had gained all his wealth at Aleppo, and that his object in coming to Italy was to take a wife, as being a more civilized country, and more congenial to his feelings. Roderigo was a very handsome man, about 30, and being in a very few days known to possess immense riches, and it appearing that he was very liberal and humane, many noble citizens who had plenty of daughters, and a scarcity of money, made offers to him; out of the number, Roderigo selected a most beautiful young lady called Onesta, daughter of Amerigo Donati, who had three other daughters almost marriageable, and three sons grown to man's estate. Although he was of a noble family, and greatly esteemed in Florence, yet, in consequence of a style of living suited to his rank, he was very poor.

"Roderigo's wedding was most splendid. Nothing usual on such occa

sions was forgotten or neglected; it having been decreed before he left the dark regions, that he should be subject to all the passions of men, he soon took pride in the pomp and vanities of the world, and the praises of men, the which cost him dear enough; besides this, he had not been long with his wife before he fell desperately in love with her, and was wretched if she happened to look otherwise than cheerful, or was displeased at any thing. Madonna Onesta had not only brought youth and beauty to Roderigo, but such a share of pride, that he, who was a tolerable judge, thought the pride of Lucifer himself was a mere nothing to it; this greatly increased the very instant she perceived how much her husband doated upon her, and as she thought she could rule him as she pleased, she commanded him imperiously, nor did she hesitate, if he denied her any thing, to abuse and maltreat him, the which greatly annoyed him, yet the ties of matrimony, and the love he bore her, made him endure all with patience. I make no mention of the very enormous expenses he was obliged to submit to for the sake of peace. He was compelled to help his father-in-law in portioning the other girls; then again, to be on good terms with her, he was compelled to equip one brother for the Levant with clothes, &c.; and the other to the west with silks; and, lastly, to open a goldbeater's shop for the third, all of which consumed the best part of his fortune. Moreover, in the carnival time and festival of St. John, when the whole city is nothing but feasting and revels, and when the noblemen treat each other with splendid entertainments, Madonna Onesta would not yield in splendour or show, but insisted that her Roderigo should outdo them all in magnificence. Quietly did Roderigo bear all these things for the reasons above mentioned-peace and quietness; nor would he have grudged the expense, though very annoying, nay, would have even borne more. could he but have had peace in the house; or could he have waited quietly the moment of his ruin: but, on the contrary, it was quite the reverse, besides the ruinous extravagance she

for

led him into, her diabolical nature wea- it, found Matteo feeding the oxen. Ro