And trampled down, like him, tyrannic might, Yet 'mid the confidence of just renown, 1 In the Life of Sir W. Scott, vol. v., pp. 99-104, the reader will find a curious record of minute alterations on this poem, suggested, while it was proceeding through the press, by the printer and the bookseller, with the author's good-natured replies, sometimes adopting, sometimes rejecting what was proposed. 2 "The Field of Waterloo' was published before the end of October, in 8vo.; the profits of the first edition being the author's contribution to the fund raised for the relief of the widows and children of the soldiers slain in the battle. This piece appears to have disappointed those most disposed to sympathize with the author's views and feelings. The descent is indeed heavy from his Bannockburn to his Waterloo: the presence, or all but visible reality of what his dreams cherished, seems to have overawed his imagination, and tamed it into a weak pomposity of movement. The burst of pure native enthusiasm upon the Scottish heroes that fell around the Duke of Wellington's person, bears, however, the broadest marks of 'The Mighty Minstrel :'— -Saw gallant Miller's fading eye Die like the offspring of Lochiel,' &c.— is one, indeed, in which he illustrates what he then thought Buonaparte's poorness of spirit in adversity, which always struck me as pre-eminently characteristic of Scott's manner of interweaving, both in prose and verse, the moral energies with analogous natural description, and combining thought with imagery : 'Or is thy soul like mountain tide, That swell'd by winter storm and shower, A torrent fierce and wide; Whose channel shows display'd By which these wrecks were made '' ciently hackneyed; and, having the advantage of coming out "The poem was the first upon a subject likely to be suffi in a small cheap form-(prudently imitated from Murray's innovation with the tales of Byron, which was the deathblow to the system of verse in quarto,)—it attained rapidly a mea. sure of circulation above what had been reached either by Rokeby or the Lord of the Isles.”—LOCKHART-Life of Scott and this is far from being the only redeeming passage. There vol v., pp. 106.7. APPENDIX. NOTE A. The peasant, at his labour blithe, Flies the hook'd staff and shorten'd scythe.-P. 501. THE reaper in Flanders carries in his left hand a stick with an iron hook, with which he collects as much grain as he can cut at one sweep with a short scythe, which he holds in his right hand. They carry on this double process with great spirit and dexterity. from different points, that the day went against him, and that the troops seemed to be disordered; to which he only re plied,-En-avant! En-avant l' "One general sent to inform the Emperor that he was in a position which he could not maintain, because it was commanded by a battery, and requested to know, at the same time, in what way he should protect his division from the murderous fire of the English artillery. Let him storm the battery,' replied Bonaparte,' and turned his back on the aidede-camp who brought the message."-Relation de la Battaille de Mont-St-Jean. Par un Témoin Oculaire. Paris, 1815, 8vo. p. 51. NOTE B. Pale Brussels! then what thoughts were thine.-P. 502. It was affirmed by the prisoners of war, that Bonaparte had promised his army, in case of victory, twenty-four hours' plunder of the city of Brussels. NOTE C. "On! On!" was still his stern exclaim.-P. 503. The characteristic obstinacy of Napoleon was never more fully displayed than in what we may be permitted to hope will prove the last of his fields. He would listen to no advice, and allow of no obstacles. An eye-witness has given the following account of his demeanour towards the end of the action :"It was near seven o'clock; Bonaparte, who till then had remained upon the ridge of the hill whence he could best behold what passed, contemplated with a stern countenance, the scene of this horrible slaughter. The more that obstacles seemed to multiply, the more his obstinacy seemed to increase. He became indignant at these unforeseen difficulties; and, far from fearing to push to extremities an army whose confidence in him was boundless, he ceased not to pour down fresh troops, and to give orders, to march forward-to charge with the bayonet-to carry by storm. He was repeatedly informed, NOTE D. The fate their leader shunn'd to share.-P. 503. It has been reported that Bonaparte charged at the head of his guards, at the last period of this dreadful conflict. This, however, is not accurate. He came down indeed to a hollow part of the high road, leading to Charlerol, within less than a quarter of a mile of the farm of La Haye Sainte, one of the points most fiercely disputed. Here he harangued the guards, and informed them that his preceding operations had destroyed the British infantry and cavalry, and that they had only to support the fire of the artillery, which they were to attack with the bayonet. This exhortation was received with shouts of Vive l'Empereur, which were heard over all our line, and led to an idea that Napoleon was charging in person. But the guards were led on by Ney; nor did Bonaparte approach nearer the scene of action than the spot already mentioned, which the rising banks on each side rendered secure from all such balls as did not come in a straight line. He witnessed the earlier part of the battle from places yet more remote, particularly from an observatory which had been placed there by the King of the Netherlands, some weeks before, for the purpose of surveying the country. It is not meant to infer from these particulars that Napoleon showed, on that memorable occasion, the least deficiency in personal courage; on the contrary, he evinced the greatest composure and presence of mind during the whole action. But it is no less true that report has erred in ascribing to him any desperate efforts of valour for recovery of the battle; and it is remarkable, that during the whole carnage, none of his suits 1 The mistakes concerning this observatory have been mu- Bonaparte: and a French writer affirms it was constructed by tual. The English supposed it was erected for the use of the Duke of Wellington. were either killed or wounded, whereas scarcely one of the Duke of Wellington's personal attendants escaped unhurt. NOTE E. England shall tell the fight!-P. 503. called to the men, In riding up to a regiment which was hard pressed, the Duke Soldiers, we must never be beat,-what will they say in England ?" It is needless to say how this appeal was answered. NOTE G. The British shock of levell'd steel.-P. 504. No persuasion or authority could prevail upon the French troops to stand the shock of the bayonet. The Imperial Guards, in particular, hardly stood till the British were within thirty yards of them, although the French author, already quoted, has put into their mouths the magnanimous sentiment, "The Guards never yield-they die." The same author has covered the plateau, or eminence, of St. Jean, which formed the British position, with redoubts and retrenchments which never had an existence. As the narrative, which is in many respects curious, was written by an eye-witness, he was probably deceived by the appearance of a road and ditch which run along part of the hill. It may be also mentioned, in criticising this work, that the writer mentions the Chateau of Hougomont to have been carried by the French, although it was resolutely and successfully defended during the whole action. The enemy, indeed, possessed them. selves of the wood by which it is surrounded, and at length set fire to the house itself; but the British (a detachment of A private soldier of the 95th regiment compared the sound the Guards, under the command of Colonel Macdonnell, and which took place immediately upon the British cavalry min- | afterwards of Colonel Home) made good the garden, and gling with those of the enemy, to "a thousand tinkers at | thus preserved, by their desperate resistance, the post which work mending pots and kettles." covered the return of the Duke of Wellington's right flank. NOTE F. As plies the smith his clanging trade.-P. 503. Harold the Dauntless: A POEM.' IN SIX CANTOS. "Upon another occasion," says Sir Walter, " I sent up another of these trifles, which, like schoolboys' kites, served lo show how the wind of popular taste was setting. The manner was supposed to be that of a rude minstrel, or Scald, in opposition to The Bridal of Triermain, which was designed to belong rather to the Italian school. This new fugitive piece was called 'Harold the Dauntless;' and I am still astonished at my having committed the gross error of selecting the very name which Lord Byron had made so famous. It encountered rather an odd fate. My ingenious friend, Mr. James Hogg, had published, about the same time, a work called the 'Poetic Mirror, containing imitations of the principal living poets. There was in it a very good imitation of my own style, which bore such a resemblance to Harold the Dauntless, that there was no discovering the original from the imitation, and I believe that many who took the trouble of thinking upon the subject, were rather of opinion that my ingenious friend was the true, and not the fictitious Simon Pure.”—INTRODUCTION TO THE LORD OF THE ISLES. 1830. 1 Published by Constable and Co., January 1817, in 12mo, placed on a level with Triermain; and, though it contains 78. 6d. 2 "Within less than a month, the Black Dwarf and Old Mortality were followed by Harold the Dauntless, by the author of the Bridal of Triermain.' This poem had been, it appears, begun several years back; nay, part of it had been actually printed before the appearance of Childe Harold, though that circumstance had escaped the author's remembrance when he penned, in 1830, his Introduction to the Lord of the Isles; for he there says, 'I am still astonished at my having committed the gross error of selecting the very name which Lord Byron had made so famous.' The volume was published by Messrs. Constablo, and had, in those booksellers' phrase, considerable success. It has never, however, been many vigorous pictures, and splendid verses, and here and there some happy humour, the confusion and harsh transitions of the fable, and the dim rudeness of character and manners, seem sufficient to account for this inferiority in public favour. It is not surprising that the author should have redoubled his aversion to the notion of any more serious performances in verse. He had seized on an instrument of wider compass, and which, handled with whatever rapidity, seemed to reveal at every touch treasures that had hitherto siept unconsciously within him. He had thrown off his fotters. and might well go forth rejoicing in the native elasticity of his strength.”—Life of Scott, vol. v., p. 181. |