who would not?-as beautiful in the highest degree; but I question whether it excited a hundredth part of the delight in our minds, that the discovery of the Nebulæ, and a variety of double stars,-rolling round their respective centres of gravity, -did in the exalted mind of Herschell; who, through glasses of his own forming, saw more new stars, than human eye had ever seen before. If we could envy any one, who more worthy of envy? "You enquired, some time since, why I thought the planet Uranus ought not to be styled the Herschell. This is my reason. Its discovery,—as well as that of the planets,—was anticipated by Galileo. "Who will venture to say," said he, "that the space, which we call too vast and useless, between Saturn and the fixed stars, is void of other bodies, belonging to the Universe? Must it be so, because we do not see them?" La Lande, also, calculated upon the existence of another planet; and Clairaut conjectured, that the Halley comet might be retarded by the action of some planet, more distant from the sun than Saturn. Flamstead saw, noted, and registered this very body as a star. Herschell perceived that it moved; and, taking it for a comet, handed it over to Dr. MASKELYNE, who immediately ranked it with the planets. To Maskelyne, therefore, the chief honour seems to be due. Herschell is the FATHER OF SIDEREAL ASTRONOMY; and therefore far superior to the circumstance of being chiefly known as the mere notator of a movement, to which he gave a hasty and erroneous interpretation. His name is associated with the entire Sidereal Firmament. That is his claim; and that will be, in all ages, his exceeding great reward. For he has unfolded to our eyes myriads of stars; system beyond system; Nebula beyond Nebula; and opened to our imagination, at every step into the sublime regions of space, not only new forms of life; but the probability of new orders of intelli genee. Let his fame, therefore, rest upon the base, progression, and summit of this pyramid." At Feversham we reflect on the fate, that attended the ashes of Stephen, king of England: a valiant, clement, generous, and magnanimous prince who never, even when barbarism was almost characteristic of the times, executed an enemy: and who, if he had been permitted to enjoy the throne in peace, had proved a blessing to the whole kingdom. To him are we indebted for the revival of the best portion of the Saxon laws. He died at Canterbury, and was buried at Feversham abbey. When monasteries and abbeys were dissolved, his bones were taken out of the leaden coffin, in which they were deposited, for the sake of the lead; which being sold to a plumber, his bones were thrown into the neighbouring river! What Scotsman roves among the Grampian mountains, without remembering the battle between Agricola and the Caledonians, fought at their feet? And who treads the field of Flodden, that does not bewail the loss of the king, James IV. slain in the battle? On the banks of Bannockburn he rejoices in the stratagem of his ancestors, by which the English suffered a loss, greater than they had sustained since the memorable battle of Hastings. At Dunfermline, he pauses with melancholy interest over the remains of Robert Bruce; the restorer of the Scottish monarchy, and one of the most illustrious of its kings ;-while on the fields of Falkirk he pursues the history of Wallace to the period, in which he was betrayed, by Sir John Menteith, into the hands of Edward the First; who caused him to be dragged to pieces by four horses; his quarters to be sent to four of the principal Scottish towns; and his head to be placed upon the Tower of London ! What traveller visits Fingal's Cave, without a transport of admiration? The calm twilight, that reposes there, even in the brightest days; the liquid mirror that reflects the forms and tints of the basaltic and stalactitic vault above; the sound of the water, clear yet green, as it rises and falls, and undu lates along the columns, and echoes from the roof and walls— all these are seen and heard with a degree of transport, which only a poetical mind can imagine, and a feeling heart entirely understand. The music appears to be the music of Paradise. At Inverness we behold Lady Macbeth, reading the letter, in one of the rooms of its castle, that first imparts to her the hope of future greatness. We witness the excitement of her husband, and the bending up of "each corporeal agent" to effect the murder. Then we listen to Macbeth's soliloquy, when he fancies that he sees a dagger in the air. Then follows the murder of the good old king; and the horror of the assassin, when he relates to his wife the issue of his horrific purpose. We hear the knocking at the castle gate; see Macduff and Lennox; and mark the horror of the former at the discovery of the king's murder. Then we transport ourselves to the palace of Forres; become a guest at the banquet; and afterwards follow Macbeth to the heath, to consult the wisdom of the weird sisters. We listen to their dubious prophecies, and mark the usurper's interpretation of them in his own favour. Then we thrill at the agony of Macduff, on learning that Macbeth had surprised his castle, murdered his wife, and all his children! Towards the conclusion of this sublime tragedy, we enter the castle of Dunsinane; where, Lady Macbeth, walking in her sleep, exhibits herself a martyr to all the horrors of conscious guilt. We then behold Macbeth and Macduff's encounter in the field; and the fulfilment of those prophecies, "kept to the ear, but broken to the hope,” which, filling the soul of Macbeth with despair, enervates his arm, and causes him to fall before the sword of his adversary. ASSOCIATIONS CONNECTED WITH FRANCE AND ITALY. WHEN We visit the tomb of Fontenelle, what is the circumstance, with which he is connected, on which we pause with the greatest pleasure? It is this:" I am now eighty years old," said he to one of his friends," and I am a Frenchman; but never have I once treated the smallest virtue with the smallest ridicule." In the village of Domremi, in the province of Lorrain, we revert to the catastrophe, that closed the fortunes of Joan of Arc. On the plain of Poictiers we behold the Black Prince, riding through London in triumph, on a small mean-looking horse, and in the plainest attire; while his captive, the king of France,-clad in royal apparel, was mounted on a milk white steed, remarkable for its symmetry and beauty. And is it possible, my friend, to stand upon the cliffs, near Cherburg, without remembering the fate of the unfortunate Arthur, who fell a martyr to the ambition of his uncle John?-Who, failing in the instrument he had engaged to put out his eyes, brought him from Rouen to Cherbourg. Then the scene between the young prince and Hubert, so transcendantly painted by Shakspeare, passes before our eyes: —a scene, unequalled for the exquisite pathos and simplicity of the pleading. We then listen to the heart-rending grief of the Lady Constance : O Lord, my boy, my Arthur, my fair son! Then we revert to Cherbourg. When John arrived in that place he mounted his horse, and desired Arthur to ride before him. After riding some little way, John distanced his attendants, and advanced to a high cliff impending over the sea. He then rode furiously up to Arthur's horse; ran the unfortunate youth through the body; pulled him from his horse; and, dragging him on the ground, threw him over the precipice a! There is a small town in France, too, which no one can enter without interest from the consideration, that Demetrius Comnene once lived there: a man boasting a pedigree that traced him from the line of Trajan". His pedigree was the noblest of any man then living, or that since has lived. For he had twenty-six kings for his ancestors; and eighteen emperors. Of these, six were emperors of Constantinople; ten of Trebisond; and two of Heracleus Pontus: eighteen kings of Colchis, and eight of Lazi ©. When our friend, Helvidius, was in Poland, with what enthusiasm did he visit the birth places of Casimir the Third, and of Piastus king of that country. To CASIMIR is Poland indebted for its principal towns, churches, and fortresses. He was the Alfred of Poland; and so equal was he in the administration of justice, that the nobles, in derision, called him "king of the peasants." PIASTUS was actually a peasant; but proved one of the best kings, that Poland has ever known. On such a spot how natural was it to revert to the instances of celebrated men, who have risen to sovereignty from a low estate. JUSTIN, the fifty-fifth emperor of Rome, was originally a herdsman's boy in Thrace, that could neither write nor read: yet he was afterwards elected emperor; and became more distinguished by his courage, wise laws, and the due administration of them, than most monarchs, born and educated expressly for the exercise of sovereignty. Pertinax was an artificer; Diocletian was the son of a scrivener; Valentinian of a ropemaker; Probus of a gardener; and Maximin of a wheelwright. * D'Argentre, Hist. de Bretagne, cap. lxxxiii. He died aged 64, and was buried in the church of St. Thomas Aquinas, Paris, Sept. 1821. He left a brother, Count George, a niece, and a nephew. His armorial bearings consisted of the imperial eagle, surmounted by the imperial crown, under which was the motto: "FAMA MANET:-FORTUNA PERIT." |