That he himself felt only "like a youth
Picking up shells by the great ocean-Truth." (1)

VI.

Ecclesiastes said, " that all is vanity"

Most modern preachers say the same, or show it By their examples of true Christianity:

In short, all know, or very soon may know it; And in this scene of all-confess'd inanity,

By saint, by sage, by preacher, and by poet, Must I restrain me, through the fear of strife, From holding up the nothingness of life?

VII.

Dogs, or men!-for I flatter you (2) in saying
That ye are dogs-your betters far-ye may
Read, or read not, what I am now essaying
To show ye what ye are in every way.
As little as the moon stops for the baying

Of wolves, will the bright muse withdraw one ray From out her skies-then howl your idle wrath! While she still silvers o'er your gloomy path.

(1) [A short time before his death, he uttered this memorable sentiment:-"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." What a lesson to the vanity and presumption of philosophers; to those, especially, who have never even found the smoother pebble or the prettier shell! What a preparation for the latest enquiries, and the last views, of the decaying spirit,- for those inspired doctrines which alone can throw a light over the dark ocean of undiscovered truth! "-SIR DAVID BREWSTER.] (2) [See" Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog," antè, Vol. VII. p. 292.]

VIII.

"Fierce loves and faithless wars"-I am not sure

If this be the right reading-'tis no matter; The fact's about the same, I am secure;

I sing them both, and am about to batter A town which did a famous siege endure,

And was beleaguer'd both by land and water (1) By Souvaroff, or Anglicè Suwarrow,

Who loved blood as an alderman loves marrow.

IX.

The fortress is call'd Ismail, and is placed
Upon the Danube's left branch and left bank, (2)
With buildings in the Oriental taste,

But still a fortress of the foremost rank,
Or was at least, unless 'tis since defaced,

Which with your conquerors is a common prank: It stands some eighty versts from the high sea, And measures round of toises thousands three. (3)

X.

Within the extent of this fortification

A borough is comprised along the height Upon the left, which from its loftier station Commands the city, and upon its site

(1) [“ An. 1790. Le 30 de Novembre on s'approcha de la place; les troupes de terres formaient un total de vingt mille hommes, indépendamment de sept à huit mille Kozaks."— Hist. de la Nouvelle Russie, tom, ii. p. 201.]

(2) ["Ismaël est situé sur la rive gauche du bras gauche du Danube." - Ibid.]

(3) ["à peu près à quatre-vingts verstes de la mer elle a près de trois milles toises de tour."— Ibid.]

A Greek had raised around this elevation
A quantity of palisades upright,
So placed as to impede the fire of those
Who held the place, and to assist the foe's. (')

XI.

This circumstance may serve to give a notion
Of the high talents of this new Vauban:
But the town ditch below was deep as ocean,

The rampart higher than you'd wish to hang: But then there was a great want of precaution (Prithee, excuse this engineering slang), Nor work advanced, nor cover'd way was there, (2) To hint at least "Here is no thoroughfare."

XII.

But a stone bastion, with a narrow gorge,
And walls as thick as most skulls born as yet;
Two batteries, cap-à-pie, as our St. George,

Case-mated (3) one, and t'other" à barbette,” (4)

(1) [" On a compris dans ces fortifications un faubourg Moldave, situé à la gauche de la ville, sur une hauteur qui la domine: l'ouvrage a été terminé par un Grec. Pour donner une idée des talens de cet ingénieur; il suffira de dire qu'il fit placer les palissades perpendiculairement sur le parapet, de manière qu'elles favorisaient les assiégeans, et arrêtaient le feu des assiégés." — Hist. de la N. R. p. 202.]

(2) ["Le rempart en terre est prodigieusement élevé, à cause de l'immense profondeur du fosse; il est cependant absolument rasant; il n'y a ni ouvrage avancé, ni chemin couvert."— Ibid. p. 202.]

(3) [Casemate is a work made under the rampart, like a cellar or cave, with loopholes to place guns in it, and is bomb proof. - Milit. Dict.]

(4) [When the breastwork of a battery is only of such height that the guns may fire over it without being obliged to make embrasures, the guns are said to fire in barbet. - Ibid.]

Of Danube's bank took formidable charge;
While two and twenty cannon duly set

Rose over the town's right side, in bristling tier,
Forty feet high, upon a cavalier.(1)

XIII.

But from the river the town's open quite,

Because the Turks could never be persuaded A Russian vessel e'er would heave in sight; (2) And such their creed was, till they were invaded, When it grew rather late to set things right.

But as the Danube could not well be waded, They look'd upon the Muscovite flotilla,

And only shouted, "Allah!" and " Bis Millah!"

XIV.

The Russians now were ready to attack;
But oh, ye goddesses of war and glory!
How shall I spell the name of each Cossacque
Who were immortal, could one tell their story?
Alas! what to their memory can lack?

Achilles' self was not more grim and gory
Than thousands of this new and polish'd nation,
Whose names want nothing but-pronunciation.

(1) ["Un bastion de pierres, ouvert par une gorge très-étroite, et dont les murailles son fort épaisses, a un batterie casematée et une à barbette; il défend la rive du Danube. Du côté droit de la ville est un cavalier de quarante pieds d'élévation à pic, garni de vingt-deux pièces de canon, et qui défend la partie gauche."— Hist. de la N. R. p. 202.]

(2) ["Du côté du fleuve, la ville est absolument ouverte; les Turcs ne croyaient pas que les Russes pussent jamais avoir une flotille dans le Danube."- Ibid. p. 203.]

XV.

Still I'll record a few, if but to increase

Our euphony: there was Strongenoff, and Strokonoff, Meknop, Serge Low, Arsniew of modern Greece, And Tschitsshakoff, and Roguenoff, and Chokenoff, And others of twelve consonants apiece;

And more might be found out, if I could poke enough Into gazettes; but Fame (capricious strumpet), It seems, has got an ear as well as trumpet,

XVI.

And cannot tune those discords of narration,
Which may be names at Moscow, into rhyme;
Yet there were several worth commemoration,
As e'er was virgin of a nuptial chime;
Soft words, too, fitted for the peroration
Of Londonderry drawling against time,
Ending in "ischskin," "ousckin," " iffskchy," "ouski,"
Of whom we can insert but Rousamouski, (1)

XVII.

Scherematoff and Chrematoff, Koklophti,
Koclobski, Kourakin, and Mouskin Pouskin,
All proper men of weapons, as e'er scoff'd high
Against a foe, or ran a sabre through skin:

(1) ["La première attaque était composée de trois colonnes, commandées par les lieutenans-généraux Paul Potiemkin, Serge Lwow, les généraux-majors Lascy, Théodore Meknop. Trois autres colonnes avaient pour chefs le Comte Samoïlow, les généraux Elie de Bezborodko, Michel Koutousow; les brigadiers Orlow, Platow, Ribaupierre. La troisième attaque par eau n'avait que deux colonnes, sous les ordres des généraux-majors Ribas et Arséniew, des brigadiers Markoff et Tchépéga," &c. Hist. de la N. R. p. 207.]