O'ER all the plain th' Assyrian camp-fires now
Blaze high; and with the darkness a drear red
Strangely commingle. Like a burning gulf,
Sleeping till stirr'd by winds; the heaving mass
Of warriors at the mountain's foot appears;
Breast-plates, and shields, and helms, and gonfalons,
Glow blood-red here and there; but doubly dark
Elsewhere the night. Now, toward the hills all haste :
If Medes alone, or with Assyrians mixed,

I cannot know; but rapid is the speed.
The light increases: up the mountain's side,

BATTLE SCENES.

In the red darkness faintly I discern

The slumbering myriads; and toward its foot
Onward they come; like billows of dark fire.
But farther off, in one bright blaze, the camp
Shines out a countless multitude I see,
In flaming armour pouring o'er the plain.
Like ocean glittering 'neath the ruddy sun,
The wide field flashes; like the ocean's roar
Their clamours rise.

Among the trees a crash

I hear, a heaving of the branches. Lights

---

Are thickening near the hill. Ha! now I see
They rend the boughs for torches. In his hand
Each soldier bears a branch of blazing pine.
They speed toward the heights: they shake the torch :
They wave the sword: like running flame they seem.
Now up the steep they urge. A cloud of darts
And arrows from the Medes upon them pours,-
A fiery cloud; and stones are hurled-and spears ;-
Yet upward still they come. The watch-fires now
Are flaming on the hills: distinctly gleams

The battle forth.

Not needed now.

Their torches they cast down;
Ha! by his star-like helm,

Assyria's king appears. He shouts : he flies:

He points towards the

rocks;-he waves them on.

A warrior meets him sword with sword they fight

:

Arabia's monarch, sure.-But both are lost,—

The waves of fight roll o'er them

Meantime, along the sapphire bridge of heaven,
Far, far beyond the canopy of cloud

That mantled earth, the day-god's lightning steeds
Through the pure ether rapt his chariot-wheels,
Sounding harmonious thunder. To the height
They had ascended; and the steep decline

ATHERSTONE.

Half-way had measured; yet the hard-fought field Still was contested; for, like men resolved

On that one day to peril all to come

To die, perchance, but never to submit

The Assyrian captains strove; and, with like fire,
Their soldiers' hearts inflamed. Aid too had come-
Chariots, and horse, and foot; who, when the scale,
Charged with Assyria's doom, was sinking fast,
Twice had its fall arrested. Once again,
When seemed that utter ruin hovered nigh,
The chariot of Assyria's beauteous queen
From rank to rank flew on: and, as they saw,
The warriors' breasts, as with new soul infused,
Like beacons freshly kindled, burst at once
Into intensest flame. Unhelmed, unarmed,
Her ebon hair loose flying in the wind,
She raised aloft her arms, her voice uplift,
And bade them on to glory. As the star
Of morning, while the sun yet sleeps below,
And the grey mist is on the dewy earth,
Her face was pale and radiant. Like a shape
From heaven descended, and to mortal harm
Impassive, gloriously and fearlessly

Through the death-laden air she flew along.
Her spirit fired the host; with deafening shouts
Onward they bore; and, for a time, the Medes
Compelled, though slowly, backward.

MARY HOWITT.

THE BALLAD OF RICHARD BURNELL.

PART I.

FROM his bed rose Richard Burnell

At the early dawn of day,
Ere the bells of London city
Welcomed in the morn of May.

Early on that bright May morning
Rose the young man from his bed,
He, the happiest man in London,
And thus to himself he said:

666

When the men and maids are dancing,
And the folk are mad with glee,

In the Temple's shady gardens

Let me walk and talk with thee!'

"Thus my Alice spake last even,

Thus with trembling lips she spake, And those blissful words have kept me Through the live-long night awake.

""Tis a joy beyond expression,

When we first, in truth, perceive That the love we long have cherished Will not our fond hearts deceive!

"And her good old merchant father,Father he has been to me

Saw the love grow up between us, Saw-and was well pleased to see.