Call forth those phantoms, by some magic lay, Which ages yet to come shall mark as Nature's blot? In that calm hour I've set me, when the gleam I've set me ;-round me rung day's parting knell; So pale, so wan with suffering, yet so fair, That Mercy's voice was loud-where Justice fear'd to spare. THE HAWTHORN TREE. I MARK'D an old hawthorn tree wither'd away, All cold o'er the blossoms the dew-drops were shed, A bird warbled sweet on the moss-cover'd stem All in silence I gaz'd on the bare blighted tree And I wept o'er the dew-cover'd blossoms, that seem'd That brings o'er our age the sweet visions we dream'd, And the song of the bird, that at intervals rose, Seem'd like mem'ry, that wakens our dreams of repose, When the joys of repose are all fled. L. STANZAS, SUGGESTED BY A FEW LINES OF MOORE'S, ENTITLED If thou hast seen the setting sun Roll through the skies with silent motion; Amid the purpling waves of ocean If thou hast seen the sea-birds float, If thou hast seen the eagle soar High o'er the cliffs on dauntless pinion; If thou hast seen the light'ning flash, And burst the mountain rocks asunder; If thou hast seen the moon's pure ray, Close on the world, amid their screaming If thou hast wander'd by the shore, And gaz'd upon the ocean green If thou hast view'd all this, and more "God bless me! what a deal you've seen!" L. THE WANDERER'S LAMENT O'ER THE GRAVE OF HIS LOVE. I HAVE Wander'd o'er nations, and mingled with men, But the morn I left home is remember'd in vain, She was dear to my soul as the light of the day But the beauty of earth has departed away, "Tis the Wanderer's lament o'er the grave of his love, But can sorrow this turf from her bosom remove, Shall not vengeance be mine? Ere I sink to repose But one arm shall defend her fond memory yet In the grave where she sleeps with disgrace; And shall kinsmen traduce her for loving so well, No, my Lucy!-oh no!-but my bosom must swell JACOBITE RELICS, NOT PUBLISHED MR EDITOR, SINCE the time that the Jacobite Relics of Scotland were published, two very extensive collections have been sent to me; the one from London, and the other from a gentleman in the North of England, (Mr Bulmer of Adderston). Like all the huge collections of Jacobite songs and poems that have fallen into my hands, there are many of those in the two volumes mentioned, that are either absolute trash, or quite common-place verses. Nevertheless, there are many of them that I have never before seen or heard of; and as they have impressive marks of originality about them, I have judged it incumbent on me to preserve some of the best of them in your Magazine, as the only old standard National Work, in which such relics ought to be registered. Some people will perhaps think it would have been as natural, and as consistent with good economy in me, to have published them in an Appendix to a new edition of my National Work: but such people do not know, in the least, how the world goes. They do not know that it is an invariable principle with my booksellers, never to publish a second edition of any book; and were I to put off till it is time to publish a third edition, there is little doubt that those genuine relics would fall out of mind, or be quit lost, in handing from one to another. The present moment only is ours, and an opportunity once lost, it may never be in our power to recal, That there may be no suspicions of any imposition, I subjoin the letters of the two gentlemen who favoured me with the collections. Mr W. B. Marshall, of Beaufort-Row, Chelsea, first forwarded me the one collection, through the hands of my booksellers. I wrote to him, acknowledging the receipt of the manuscripts, and requesting him to give me the history of them as far as he knew. His answer was as follows: "THE history of the Jacobite bagatelles which I had the honour of transmitting to you, is short, and will, I fear, be unsatisfactory. It is, however, and all things of the same nature that I possess, fully at your ser vice. An aged man of superior man- (Signed) W. B. MARSHALL. 9, Beaufort-Row, Chelsea." No one can suspect the truth of the above plain unvarnished tale. It carries that species of conviction along with it, which leaves no manner of lurking doubt. Mr Bulmer's account of the manner in which he recovered his, is a great deal more circumstantial and fanciful, but in all probability not the less true. It came along with the manuscripts at first. I have to ask both these gentlemen's pardon for thus publishing their letters. "Adderston-House, Sept. 3d, 1821. return them to me, after you have selected such as suits you for publication. Should you be desirous of tracing the history of these songs so as that you may be convinced of their authenticity, I shall relate to you the circumstances that led to their discovery, and then leave you to judge for yourself. Last August, happening to be at Gilliesland Wells with a niece of my own, and not having any thing to do, I pored a great deal on the first volume of your Jacobite Relics, which a party had brought with them for amusement, and there was a countryman there whom I always heard condemning them as imperfect. I ventured one day to take up the cudgels in your defence, and urged that this was but a part of the work, and being the earliest part, would of course be the most imperfect, but that it was unfair to attach unqualified blame, until he saw what you would make out in the remaining part. Imperfect, Sir !' exclaimed he; they are just so imperfect, that he has left out all the good ones together, and published all the worst. He boasts of having been at much pains collecting them; I can tell him, however, that he has been at no pains at all. I know a widow woman (that was his expression) who has more verses, and better ones too, than all that Hogg has published together.' I said that might be all true, but her's would not be Jacobite songs.He swore they were all Jacobite songs every one. I ventured to dispute the fact, the assertion appearing so extraordinary, I could not swallow it, On this he repeated all he had said before in high heat, and confirmed it all with a tremendous oath, giving me to know that his word was not to be disputed. I then said, if such a relic existed, it ought at once to be sent to you, for that the work in which you were engaged was a national one, and every man was concerned in the preservation of such old and once-proscribed pieces as came within the sphere of his knowledge. That I had no doubt you would take care of the manuscripts, as you had avouched to do in your introduction, and would besides make any reasonable remuneration. He said he was sure Wi dow Ht did not set the value of twopence on the songs, and any one might get them for the asking. After conversing on the same subject occasionally, for several days, as he still maintained his point, I engaged him to procure me a reading of the songs, which he undertook without hesitation: but I heard no more from him. On the beginning of the following March, being on my way from Carlisle to Whitehaven, and being desirous of searching more into the affair of the Relics, principally, I believe, from the desire of confuting Mr Anderson's assertions, which Ï had at first disputed, and still entertained strong doubts concerning their correctness, I went a little out of my way and called on him. He said he had waited on the widow again and again, but the volume could not be found, as she had given it away to somebody. I now conceived that all my prepossessions were well founded, and that the whole had been a cock and bull story from the beginning. So to be at the ground of the matter, I took him with me, and waited on the widow, resolved either to learn something of the manuscripts, or convict him to his face. But I had not questioned her two minutes concerning them, before I was convinced that all that Anderson had told me had been consistent with truth; and at all events, that there had been an extensive collection of Jacobite songs in her possession. She had no conception, she said, what had become of them, unless her son Tommy, who lived all the way at Bishop-Wearmouth, had taken them away; but as he came regularly twice a-year to see her, she would make enquiry at him, and cause him to bring them back; and with this promise I was obliged to be satisfied." I asked her how they came into her possession? and she replied, that they were collected by a brother of her's, who spent the greatest part of his life poultering after such nonsense; and when I enquired anent this brother of hers, the account she gave me of him was so original, that I have been induced to send it to you in her own words, as nearly as I can recollect them. 'Way, didst thou never hear of me brwother Tommy? I thought all Coomberland had known Tommy.He was a kyind of a swort of a dowmonie, wi' mayer lear nor wot to gyuide it, and they ca'd him aye "the limping dowmonie,' for he was a cripple a' the days o' his lyife. A swort of a treyfling nicky-nacky body that he was, and never had the power owther to de a good turn to the sel' o' him, nor ony yean that belwonged to him. Aweel, thou'lt no hinder Tommy, but he'll gather up a' the fiyne songs in the world, and get them prentit in a beuk; and after he had spent the meast pairt o' his lyife gathering and penning, he gyangs his ways-whey but he?-to a prenter in Carlisle, to make a great fortune. Whew!-the prenter wad never look at nowther him nor them lawles songs. Tommy was very crwoss then; and what does he do, but aff he sets wi' them, crippling all the way, to Edinbrough, and he woffers them to tway measter prenters there, for a great swom o' money; but they leugh at the poor dowmonie, and thought him crackit i' the head. The meast that Tommy could get for them there, was yene o' the measter prenters woffered him a beuk o' prented sangs for his written yenes. 'Wow, Tommy, man!' quoth I, thou was a great feul no to chap him; for then thou wad ha'e had a beuk that every body could ha'e read, and now thou has neything but a batch o' scrawls that ney body can read but the sel o' thee.' Tommy braught heam his beuk o' sangs aince mayer, and at length there comes a chap to Carlisle, and he was speering about Tommy's sangs, and then he was up as hee as the wund, and expectit to pouch a' the money i' the hale coontry. But, afwore the Scats gentleman came back, there comes anwother visitor by the bye, and that was measter Palsy, and he teuk off poor Tommy like the shot of a gun; and then a' his great schemes were gane like a blast o' wund. The sangs are a' to the fwore, and for ney use that I ken o' but making sloughs to the wheel spindle.' The songs were forwarded to me this year, with a letter accompanying them, written by the widow's son, desiring me to take care of the manuscripts, unless I found it con VOL. IX. venient to make his mother a small remuneration, which he named, and in that case I might keep them altogether. These are the terms on which I hold them, and on these terms I send them to you, hoping they may be of some utility in your Jacobite researches. I consider yours as a National Work, in which every admirer of the heroism and genius of his country is interested, and all who keep back such relics as remain in their hands, are blameable, and answerable to posterity for their neglect; it being likely that no such collection will ever be attempted again. It is a work with which I have been greatly amused, and for which I honour the Highland Society more than for any other work they have patronised. My own ancestors were engaged on the side of the STUARTS, and suffered severely in their cause, therefore it is the less wonder that I feel so much interested in it. (Signed) ED. BULMER. Adderston-House, Sept. 3, 1821.” All that I have to say in addition to these statements of my two ingenious correspondents is, that the two collections have been manifestly made at very different periods, the one sent by Mr Bulmer being the latest. His are, besides, all border songs; while those sent by Mr Marshall relate mostly to the English court. I shall extract a song from both for your next Magazine, and you may be sure I shall not begin with the worst in my own estimation. |