5

Golden Fleece, and the Wars of Thebes, for the subject of their epic writings.

The poet before us, has not only found out an hero in his own country, but raises the reputation of it by several beautiful incidents. The English are the first who take the field, and the last who quit it. The English bring only fifteen hundred to the battle, and the Scotch two thousand. The English keep the field with fifty-three: the Scotch retire 10 with fifty-five: all the rest on each side being slain in battle. But the most remarkable circumstances of this kind, is the different manner in which the Scotch and English kings receive 10 the news of this fight, and of the great men's deaths who com15 manded in it.

ΤΟ

This news was brought to Edinburgh,
Where Scotland's king did reign,
That brave Earl Douglas suddenly
Was with an arrow slain.

O heavy news, King James did say,
Scotland can witness be,

I have not any captain more
Of such account as he.

Like tidings to King Henry came

Within as short a space,
That Percy of Northumberland
Was slain in Chevy-Chase.

Now God be with him, said our King,

Sith 'twill no better be,

I trust I have within my realm

Five hundred as good as he.

8 1711, first that take... last that quit it.

10 1711, kings received.

9

1711, battle, the Scotch.

Yet shall not Scot nor Scotland say

But I will vengeance take,
And be revenged on them all

For brave Lord Percy's sake.

This vow full well the King performed
After on Humble-down,

In one day fifty knights were slain,
With lords of great renown.

And of the rest of small account
Did many thousand die, etc.

At the same time that our poet shows a laudable partiality to his countrymen, he represents the Scots after a manner not unbecoming so bold and brave a people.

Earl Douglas on a milk-white steed,

Most like a baron bold,

Rode foremost of the company,

Whose armour shone like gold.

His sentiments and actions are every way suitable 5 to an hero. One of us two, says he, must die: I am an earl as well as yourself, so that you can have no pretence for refusing the combat: however, says he, 'tis pity, and indeed would be a sin, that so many innocent men should perish for our sakes, 10 rather let you and I end our quarrel in single fight.11

But trust me, Percy, pity it were,

And great offence, to kill

Any of these our harmless men,

For they have done no ill.

Let thou and I the battle try,

And set our men aside;
Accurs'd be he, Lord Percy said,

By whom this is denied.

137

When these brave men had distinguished themselves in the battle and in single combat with each other, in the midst of a generous parley, full of heroic sentiments, the Scotch earl falls; and with 5 his dying words encourages his men to revenge his death, representing to them, as the most bitter circumstance of it, that his rival saw him fall.

With that there came an arrow keen

Out of an English bow,

Which struck Earl Douglas to the heart

A deep and deadly blow.

Who never spoke more words than these,

Fight on my merry men all,

For why, my life is at an end,
Lord Percy sees my fall.

"Merry men," in the language of those times, is no more than a cheerful word for companions and Io fellow-soldiers. A passage in the eleventh book of Virgil's Eneids is very much to be admired, where Camilla in her last agonies instead of weeping over the wound she had received, as one might have expected from a warrior of her sex, considers only 15 (like the hero of whom we are now speaking) how the battle should be continued after her death.

Tum sic expirans, etc

A gathering mist o'erclouds her cheerful eyes;
And from her cheeks the rosy colour flies.
Then turns to her, whom, of her female train,
She trusted most, and thus she speaks with pain.
Acca, 'tis past! he swims before my sight,
Inexorable death; and claims his right.

Bear my last words to Turnus, fly with speed,
And bid him timely to my charge succeed:
Repel the Trojans, and the town relieve:
Farewell.-

Turnus did not die in so heroic a manner; though our poet seems to have had his eye upon Turnus's speech in the last verse,

Lord Percy sees my fall.

Vicisti, et victum tendere palmas

Ausonii videre.

Earl Percy's lamentation over his enemy is generous, beautiful, and passionate; I must only cau- 5 tion the reader not to let the simplicity of the style, which one may well pardon in so old a poet, prejudice him against the greatness of the thought.

Then leaving life, Earl Percy took
The dead man by the hand,
And said, Earl Douglas, for thy life
Would I had lost my land.

O Christ! my very heart doth bleed
With sorrow for thy sake;

For sure a more renowned knight

Mischance did never take.

That beautiful line," Taking the dead man by the hand," will put the reader in mind of Æneas's behaviour towards Lausus, whom he himself had slain as he came to the rescue of his aged father.

At vero ut vultum vidit morientis, et ora,
Ora modis Anchisiades pallentia miris ;

Ingemuit miserans graviter, dextramque tetendit, etc.

The pious prince beheld young Lausus dead;

He grieved he wept; then grasped his hand, and said,
Poor hapless youth! what praises can be paid

To worth so great!

5 I shall take another opportunity to consider the other parts of this old song.

No. 74.

FRIDAY, MAY 25. [1711.]

Pendent opera interrupta.—Virg.

IN my last Monday's paper I gave some general instances of those beautiful strokes which please 1 the reader in the old song of Chevy Chase; I shall 10 here, according to my promise, be more particular, and show that the sentiments in that ballad are extremely natural and poetical, and full of the majestic 2 simplicity which we admire in the greatest of the ancient poets: for which reason I shall quote 20 several passages of it, in which the thought is altogether the same with what we meet in several passages of the Eneid; not that I would infer from thence, that the poet (whoever he was) proposed