Fate gave one transient glance to his prophetic sense, Then call'd, in darkness and in storms, the mighty spirit hence.

With bonfires and with healths, with joyous peal

and din,

The Second Charles' inglorious reign is fondly

usher'd in.

Now change we cap and band, and cloak of solemn

gray,

For lace, and scarf, and flowing locks, and foreign pageants gay.

The merry monarch's self leads down the festive

dance,

With ribald wits, and graceless lords, and pleasant dames of France;

While seers proclaim the signs of judgment on the

land,

And London weeps, in sackcloth dight, beneath the Almighty hand.

She feels, in Sixty-five, fierce plague's commission'd

ire,

Sees tower and town, in Sixty-six, sink down 'mid smouldering fire;

Within the arms of Thames our fleet the Dutchman

braves;

The Bourbon deals his treacherous gold, and rules a court of slaves.

The people's wrath aroused, yet reckless of its aim, Wreaks fancied crimes on guiltless heads, while justice bears the blame.

Again the scaffolds rise, the generous victims bleed, And Russell for his country dies, and Stafford for his creed:

Foe to his people's cause-apostate from their faith, The king expires, despised in age, deserted at his death.]

The Second James succeeds, as York already known; The zealot of a slavish faith, and a despotic throne; Not like his age corrupt perhaps in soul sincereBut blind in judgment, stiff in act, and gloomily

severe.

No Nero-yet could see, with cold and tearless eye, A brother's young and cherish'd hope upon the scaffold die

No Valois-yet could goad the servile law's delay, And revel in the blood that flow'd beneath her er

mined sway.

But not on him be laid, nor on his head, the blame Of freedom scourged, and justice spurn'd; let England own her shame.

By her, and by her sons, in ages yet unborn,

Like amulet of saving power, be this remembrance

worn.

She forged herself the chain-she drugg'd herself the bowl;

Kind Heaven the Great Deliverer sent; and light on darkness stole.

[Hail, single hero of a mean corrupted age, Illustrious William, dear alike to soldier and to sage! What tho', in after times, thy glorious name be lent

To gild the cause of party strife, and factious dis

content;

What tho', whilst yet on earth thy star auspicious

beam'd,

Black clouds of envy paled its light, and thwarting meteors gleam'd:

Tho' all thy steps were dogg'd by traitors doubly sold, Tho' titled patriots play'd the game of state with foreign gold,

Tho' laws were wrench'd to serve oppression's coward aim,

While sots "the immortal memory" pledge, and slaves insult thy name;

Still be that name enshrined in every British breast, On ours, and on our fathers' heads the foul dishonour rest!

Our altars, and our rights, our fame by land and sea, Our smiling fields, our pleasant homes, are consecrate to thee!]

EPILOGUE.

And now my varied song must hasten to its close: To tell of Britain's after fates demands severer prose, The tribute of the heart, for temper'd freedom due, A scheme more wise than ever sage of Rome or Athens drew;

Scheme not by man contrived, by no strait fetters

tied,

For what it merits least, alike, most vaunted and decried.

336

CHRONICLE OF THE KINGS OF ENGLAND.

But oh! be ours the task, with juster sense embued, To guard the blessings which it bears with jealous gratitude;

No bigot foes to change, which alter'd times demand, Nor hireling slaves to mob applause when faction tears the land:

With trust in heaven reposed, that, whensoever fate Shall write Victoria's cherish'd name- —(far distant

be the date!)

Sixth in the monumental roll of Brunswick's line, That name amidst the noblest stars of England's host may shine;

Next hers-the virgin queen, "who quell'd the pride of Spain"

But purer, milder, and more bright-the bard's true GLORIANE.

ADDITIONAL NOTES TO VOL. II.

"FROM THE MAMBRIANO." P. 185.

THE stanzas here translated are from the singular poem of Francesco Bello, better known as the "Cieco," or Blind Man, of Ferrara, of which an account is given by Ginguené, tom. iv. p. 253, &c, The version now presented was prompted by the striking applicability of the circumstances to the fall of Napoleon, and would, perhaps, have been more aptly placed, in this collection, in juxtaposition to the “Ode on the Deliverance of Europe." And, with reference to the last mentioned production, it having been thus incidentally brought to notice, the author takes the opportunity of remarking, that having, by the course of events and the influence of more mature reflection, been made ashamed of the exaggerated sentiment conveyed in the concluding stanza, as originally printed, he has now retouched the picture, endeavouring to give a somewhat more sober tone to the colouring, though retaining enough of the first impression to show the fallacy of most human judgments when applied to passing

events.

"TRANSLATIONS FROM DANTE." P. 207.

Enough, it is hoped, has been said in the Preface to vindicate the translator of these passages from the charge of presumption, in appearing to place himself in competition with the authors of two excellent versions of the entire poem, already before the public. It was there explained that the design of the present writer was different from that of mere