Even so, upon that peaceful scene was pour'd, By friendship's zeal and honour's specious guise, Until he won the passes of the land; Then burst were honour's oath, and friendship's ties! [his prize. The mozo blithe, with gay muchacha met,1 He conscious of his broider'd cap and band, She of her netted locks and light corsette, Each tiptoe perch'd to spring, and shake the castanet. He clutch'd his vulture-grasp, and call'd fair Spain XXXIV. And well such strains the opening scene became ; For VALOUR had relax'd his ardent look, And at a lady's feet, like lion tame, Lay stretch'd, full loth the weight of arms to And soften'd BIGOTRY, upon his book, [brook; Patter'd a task of little good or ill: from village-green the merry seguidille. 1 See Appendix, Note I. XXXVIII. An Iron Crown his anxious forehead bore; And well such diadem his heart became. Who ne'er his purpose for remorse gave o'er, Or check'd his course for piety or shame; Who, train'd a soldier, deem'd a soldier's fame Might flourish in the wreath of battles won, Though neither truth nor honour deck'd his name; Who, placed by fortune on a Monarch's throne, Reck'd not of Monarch's faith, or Mercy's kingly tone. tempted on this occasion to extend a mere metaphor into an allegory; and to prolong a figure which might have given great grace and spirit to a single stanza, into the heavy sub 2"The third scene, a peaceful state of indolence and obscurity, where, though the court was degenerate, the peasant was merry and contented, is introduced with exquisite light-ject of seven or eight. His representation of the recent state ness and gaiety."-Quarterly Review. "The three grand and comprehensive pictures in which Mr. Scott has delineated the state of Spain, during the three periods to which we have alluded, are conceived with much genius, and executed with very considerable, though unequal felicity. That of the Moorish dominion is drawn, we think, with the greatest spirit. The reign of Chivalry and Superstition we do not think so happily represented, by a long and laboured description of two allegorical personages called Bigotry and Valour. Nor is it very easy to conceive how Don Roderick was to learn the fortunes of his country, merely by inspecting the physiognomy and furnishing of these two figurantes. The truth seems to be, that Mr. Scott has been of Spain, we think, displays the talent and address of the author to the greatest advantage; for the subject was by no means inspiring; nor was it easy, we should imagine, to make the picture of decay and inglorious indolence so engaging."— Edinburgh Review, which then quotes stanzas xxxiv. and xxxv. 3 "The opening of the third period of the Vision is, perhaps necessarily, more abrupt than that of the second. No circumstance, equally marked with the alteration in the whole system of ancient warfare, could be introduced in this compartment of the poem; yet, when we have been told that Valour had relaxed his ardent look,' and that Bigotry' was 'softened,' we are reasonably prepared for what follows."-Monthly Review. 4 See I. Kings, chap. xviii. v. 41--45 He saw her hideous face, and loved the fiend un- Light recking of his cause, but battling for their mask'd. own. That Prelate mark'd his march-On banners blazed shall stand? O, thou hast builded on the shifting sand, And thou hast temper'd it with slaughter's flood; And know, fell scourge in the Almighty's hand, Gore-moisten'd trees shall perish in the bud, From Alpuhara's peak that bugle rung, Wild Biscay shook his mountain-coronet, And by a bloody death, shall die the Man of Blood!" First started to his gun each fiery Miquelet. 1 "We are as ready as any of our countrymen can be, to designate Bonaparte's invasion of Spain by its proper epithets; but we must decline to join in the author's declamation against the low birth of the invader; and we cannot help reminding Mr. Scott that such a topic of censure is unworthy of him, both as a poet and as a Briton."-Monthly Review. "The picture of Bonaparte, considering the difficulty of all contemporary delineations, is not ill executed."-Edinburgh Review. "We are not altogether pleased with the lines which fol low the description of Bonaparte's birth and country. In his 4 See Book of Judges, Chap. xv. v. 9-16. LVI. It was a dread, yet spirit-stirring sight! The billows foam'd beneath a thousand oars, Fast as they land the red-cross ranks unite, Legions on legions bright'ning all the shores. Then banners rise, and cannon-signal roars, Then peals the warlike thunder of the drum, Thrills the loud fife, the trumpet-flourish pours, And patriot hopes awake, and doubts are dumb, For, bold in Freedom's cause, the bands of Ocean come ! LVII. A various host they came-whose ranks display Each mode in which the warrior meets the fight, The deep battalion locks its firm array, And meditates his aim the marksman light; Far glance the light of sabres flashing bright, Where mounted squadrons shake the echoing mead,1 Lacks not artillery breathing flame and night, Nor the fleet ordnance whirl'd by rapid steed, That rivals lightning's flash in ruin and in speed. LVIII. A various host-from kindred realms they came,3 And with their deeds of valour deck her crown. Hers their bold port, and hers their martial frown, And hers their scorn of death in freedom's cause, Their eyes of azure, and their locks of brown, And the blunt speech that bursts without a pause, And freeborn thoughts, which league the Soldier with the Laws. LIX. And, O! loved warriors of the Minstrel's land! Yonder your bonnets nod, your tartans wave! The rugged form may mark the mountain band, And harsher features, and a mien more grave; "By heaven! it is a splendid sight to see (For one who hath no friend, no brother there) Their rival scarfs of mix'd embroidery, Their various arms, that glitter in the air! What gallant war-hounds rouse them from their lair And gnash their fangs, loud yelling for the prey! All join the chase, but few the triumph share, The grave shall bear the chiefest prize away, And Havoc scarce for joy can number their array. "Three hosts combine to offer sacrifice; Are met-as if at home they could not die To feed the crow on Talavera's plain, And fertilize the field that cach pretends to gain." 1 MS."the dusty mead." But ne'er in battle-field throbb'd heart so brave, As that which beats beneath the Scottish plaid; And when the pibroch bids the battle rave, And level for the charge your arms are laid, Where lives the desperate foe that for such onset staid! LX. Hark! from yon stately ranks what laughter rings, And HE, yon Chieftain-strike the proudest tone Of thy bold harp, green Isle !-the Hero is thine own. LXI. Now on the scene Vimeira should be shown, room? And dare her wild-flowers mingle with the bays, That claim a long eternity to bloom Around the warrior's crest, and o'er the warrior's tomb! LXII. Or may I give adventurous Fancy scope, And stretch a bold hand to the awful veil That hides futurity from anxious hope, Bidding beyond it scenes of glory hail, And painting Europe rousing at the tale Of Spain's invaders from her confines hurl'd, While kindling nations buckle on their mail, And Fame, with clarion-blast and wings unfurl'd, To Freedom and Revenge awakes an injured World? "The landing of the English is admirably described; nor is there any thing finer in the whole poem than the following passage, (stanzas lv. lvi. lvii.) with the exception always of the three concluding lines, which appear to us to be very nearly as bad as possible."-JEFFREY. 3"The three succeeding stanzas (lviii. lix. lx.) are elaborate; but we think, on the whole, successful. They will probably be oftener quoted than any other passage in the poem."JEFFREY. 4 MS." His jest each careless comrade round him flings." 5 For details of the battle of Vimeira, fought 21st Aug. 1808 -of Corunna, 16th Jan. 1809-of Talavera, 28th July, 1809— and of Busaco, 27th Sept. 1810-See Sir Walter Scott's Life of Napoleon, volume vi. under these dates. 6 The nation will arise regenerate; 2" For a mere introduction to the exploits of our English commanders, the story of Don Roderick's sins and confes sions, the minute description of his army and attendants, and the whole interest and machinery of the enchanted vault, with the greater part of the Vision itself, are far too long and elaborate. They withdraw our curiosity and attention from the objects for which they had been bespoken, and gradually engage them upon a new and independent scries of romantic adventures, in which it is not easy to see how Lord Wellington and Bonaparte can have any concern. But, on the other hand, no sooner is this new interest excited,-no sooner have we surrendered our imaginations into the hands of this dark enchanter, and heated our fancies to the proper pitch for sympathizing in the fortunes of Gothic kings and Moorish invaders, with their imposing accompaniments of harnessed knights, ravished damsels, and enchanted statues, than the whole romantic group vanishes at once from our sight; and we are hurried, with minds yet disturbed with those powerful apparitions, to the comparatively sober and cold narration of Bonaparte's villanics, and to draw battles between mere The mortal combatants in English and French uniforms. vast and elaborate vestibule, in short, in which we had been so long detained, Where wonders wild of Arabesque combine With Gothic imagery of darker shade,' has no corresponding palace attached to it; and the long noviciate we are made to serve to the mysterious powers of romance is not repaid, after all, by an introduction to their awful presence" JEFFREY. MS." Who shall command the torrent's headlong tide." 4 See Appendix, Note O. |