NOVEMBER is, usually, a very gloomy month, yet there are intervals of clear and pleasant weather: the mornings are occasionally sharp, but the hoar frost is soon dissipated by the sun, and a fine open day follows. Mists and fogs sometimes continue, yet fogs and mists have their bright sides. Being nothing but vapours, which the cold air will not suffer to evaporate, they must have body enough to present a gorgeous aspect next the sun. To the eye of an eagle, or whatever other eyes may be to look down upon them, they must appear like masses of cloudy gold. In fact, they are but clouds unrisen. The city, in this month, is often literally a city in the clouds. Its inhabitants walk through the same airy heaps, which, at other times, float afar over their heads in the sky, or minister with glorious faces to the setting sun. We do not say, that any one can 'hold a fire in his hand,' by thinking on a fine sunset; or that sheer imagin M BARRY CORNWALL. ation of any sort can make it a very agreeable thing to feel as if one's body were wrapped round with cold wet paper. But the mind can often help itself with agreeable images against disagreeable ones; or pitch itself round to the best sides and aspects of them. The solid and fiery ball of the sun, stuck, as it were, in the thick foggy atmosphere; the moon just winning her way through it, into beams; nay, the very candles and gas-lights in the shop windows of a misty evening,—all have,in our eyes, their agreeable varieties of contrast to the surrounding haze. The poets have, in numberless passages, done justice to these our melancholy visitors. Examples might be produced from Homer, Virgil, Milton and others; we can only find a place for the following from SPENSER. It is a scene thickly beset with horror. Guyon, in the course of his voyage through the perilous sea wishes to stop and hear the Syrens; but the Palmer, his companion, dissuades him ; When suddenly a grosse fog over spred Sir Thereat they greatly were dismayd, ne wist Of harmless fowles about them fluttering cride, Even all the nation of unfortunate And fatall birds about them flocked were, All these, and all that els does horror breed, Whether November be gloomy or fine should be immaterial to the reflecting mind; we must not suffer our happiness to depend on the state of the weather: a much smaller portion of this grand elixir vite is to be attributed to climate than is generally imagined. Under all climates and seasons, man is the cause of his own disappointments and vexations. Not the circumstances that surrouud him, whether he be placed among the fervid plains of India, the sandy deserts of Arabia, the temperate vales of Europe, or the snow-clad regions of the Poles, are to blame: man is not, therefore, either happy or unhappy. Whether he enjoy the perpetual spring of Quito, the verdant summer of Britain, the rich autumn of Italy, or the winterthe long-long winter of Lapland, and the Arctic circle; they are all equally indifferent to his real happiness. The partiality for our native country,' it has been well observed by a lively writer, was certainly given us by nature, to prevent rambling, the effect of an ambitious thirst after knowledge, which we are formed to enjoy. All we get by it is a fruitless desire of mixing the different pleasures and conveniences which are given to the different parts of the world, and cannot meet in any one of them. After having read all that is to be found in the languages I am mistress of, and having decayed my sight by midnight studies, I envy the easy peace of mind of a ruddy milk-maid, who, undisturbed by doubt, hears the sermon with humility every Sunday, not having confounded the sentiments of natural duty in her head by the vain enquiries of the schools, who may be more learned, yet, after all, must remain as ignorant. And, after having seen part of Asia and Africa, and almost made the tour of Europe, I think the honest English Squire more happy, who verily believes the Greek wines less delicious than March beer; that the African fruits have not so fine a flavour as golden pippins; that the becafigas of Italy are not so well tasted as a rump of beef, and that, in short there is no perfect enjoyment of this life, out of Old England.' The naturalist, who lately contemplated the trees and shrubs in all their beauty of outline, foliage, blossoms, colours, and lights and shadows, must now contemplate them in their ramifications, sprays, buds, and barks, in which he will still find abundance of beauty and wonder. Thus, we admire the symmetry of form, the sparkling eye, the blooming cheek, and the curling lock, in the human, especially the female, figure; but who does not, likewise, admire the proportion and polish of the bones, and the admirable contrivance of the joints of the bare skeleton? It was the contemplation of a skeleton which turned Galen from being an atheist into a worshipper of the Great Jehovah ! A few of our forest trees which are called' deciduous' retain their foliage until late in the spring, especially when shooting from old stools in woods and copses, where they furnish a comfortable shelter for many of the small birds during the night, and a covert for the owl by day, as boys well know. The leaves of the common elm now strew the ground in profusion, and we trample over the rustling foliage without noticing any thing remarkable. Should we be led to observe these leaves, we shall find them marked with a dark spot, which is invariably attached to some of them, every autumn, more or less; by dissection under the microscope it forms a very pretty object, constituting one of the numerous race of FUNGI, arranging as sphæria xylomoides! Perhaps no part of organized creation exists for self alone, but constitutes a portion of one great union; the fine bearing and connection of each fibre may elude our discovery, but reason and conviction fill up the void. Every known animal yields support to some other being, either externally or internally; and generally each genus affords something widely different from the other: the common laurel and ilex aquafolia have a very remarkable one attached to their leaves, when in a state of decay (sphæria bifrons), unlike any other that we know of; and this spot upon the elm leaf, though not so remarkable, presents its distinctive character as manifestly as in plants of more frequent and ready observation. These little notices engage our thoughts and employ our faculties, and the next transition perhaps 91 common in October and November; Amid the mighty clouds that move along, song, And shake the red leaves from the forest trees; The following lines afford a fine In this war of the elements many a noble forester is stretched upon the ground; many a gnarled' oak succumbs to the power of the mighty wind:-but removed and at length converted into one of Britain's best bulwarks, will yet Many a conflict brave, Bloomfield. of Such is the effect of a storm on the forests in this temperate region; but insignificant is this compared with the the progress hurricane of America, which is so admirably described by her native bard, Mr. PAULDING. Much as we affect to despise the literature of our transatlantic brethren, and unwilling as we are to allow them merit of any kind, the most prejudiced Englishman must, we think, on the perusal of the following lines, be convinced that the Americans possess at least one Violent storms of wind are not un- living POET.' Fixes on the Mind the impress deep of wisdom and of The forest roared, the everlasting onk And on its dark, quick eddying surface bore Through idle mischief, or with heedless stroke : A hundred cataracts, unknown before, Rush down the mountain's side with fearful roar, Loose the firm rocks and thunder them below; The 11th of November is celebrated as St. Martin's Day. He was a native of Hungary, and for some time followed the life of a soldier; but afterwards took orders, and was made Bishop of Tours in France, in which see he continued for twentysix years. Martin died about the year 397. Formerly a universal custom prevailed of killing cows, oxen, swine, &c. at this season, which were cured for winter consumption; as fresh provisions were seldom or never to be had during the dreary months which succeed November. This practice is yet retained in some country villages. It is the day of Martilmasse, Backwoodsman. What though wynter has begunne Cecilia was a Roman lady, who refusing to renounce her religion, was thrown into a furnace of boiling water, and was scalded to death. Others say that she was stifled in a bath, a punishment frequently inflicted, at that time, on female criminals of rank. She suffered martyrdom about the year 225. Cecilia is regarded as the patroness of music, and is represented with a regal in her hand. ON MUSIC. BY WM. STRODE. WHEN whispering streams do softly steal Our pulses beat, and bear a part; When threads can make A heart-string quake, Philosophy Can scarce deny The soul can melt in harmony. O lull me, lull me! charming air, My sense is rocked with wonders sweet, Soft, like a spirit's, are thy feet; Grief who need fear That hath an ear? Down let him lie, And slumbering die, And change his soul for harmony. ORIGIN OF RINGS, AND SUPERSTITIOUS RESPECT FOR THE VIRTUES OF RARE GEMS. ACCORDING to the accounts of the heathen mythology, Prometheus, who in the earliest ages had discovered a great number of secrets, having been delivered from the chains by which he was fastened to Mount Caucasus, for stealing fire from heaven, in memory or acknowledgment of the favour he had received from Jupiter, made himself a ring of one of those chains, in whose collet he represented the figure of the rock where he had been detained: or rather, as Pliny says, set in it a bit of the same rock, and put it on his finger. This was the first ring and the first stone. But we otherwise learn that the use of rings is very ancient, and that the Egyptians were the first inventors of them; which seems confirmed by the person of Joseph, who as we read in Genesis, chap. xli. for having interpreted Pharaoh's dream, received not only his liberty, but was rewarded with the Prince's ring, a collar of gold, and the superintendency of Egypt. Josephus, in the third book of the Jewish Antiquities, says, that the Is raelites had the use of them after their passing the Red Sea; because Moses, at his return from Mount Sinai, found that they had forged the golden calf from the rings of their wives. The same Moses, which was upwards of four hundred years before the war of Troy, permitted the priests he had established the use of gold rings, enriched with precious stones. The high priest wore upon his ephod, which was a kind of caftan, rich rings that served him as clasps; and between two of these clasps a large emerald was set, and engraven with mysterious names. The ring he wore on his finger was of inestimable value and celestial virtue. Had not Aaron, the high priest of the Hebrews, a ring on his finger, whereof the diamond, by its virtue, operated prodigious things? for it changed its livid lustre into a dark colour, when the Hebrews were to be punished by death for their sins; when they were to fall by the sword, it appeared of a blood colour; if they were innocent, it sparkled as usual. It is observable that the ancient Hebrews used rings in the time even of the war of Troy. Queen Jezebel, to destroy Naboth, as is related in the third book of Kings, made use of the ring of Ahab, King of the Israelites, her husband, to seal the counterfeit letters that ordered the death of that unfortunate man. Judah, as is mentioned in Genesis, chapter xxxviii. abused his daughter-in-law, Thamar, who had disguised herself, by giving her his ring and bracelets as a pledge of the faith he had promised her. Though the great Homer is silent in regard to rings, both in his Iliad and Odyssey, they were, notwithstanding, used in the time of the Greeks and Trojans; and it is from them several other nations received them. The ring was reputed by some nations a symbol of liberality, esteem, and friendship, particularly among the Persians, none being allowed to wear the hand of the King himself. This is any, except when given to them from what may be also remarked in the person of Apollonius Thyanneus, who, as a token of singular esteem and great liberality, received one of surprising virtue from the great Tarchas, the Prince of the Gymnosophists, who were the ancient priests of the Indies, and dwelt in forests, as our bards and druids, where they applied themselves to the study of wisdom, and to the speculation of the heaven and stars. philosopher, by the means of that ring, learned every day the greatest secrets in nature. This The Lacedemonians, as related by Alexander ab Alexandro, pursuant to the ordinances of their King Lycurgus, had only iron rings, despising those of gold; either that their King was willing thereby to retrench luxury, or not to permit the use of them. |