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.]

66

(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. (1)

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.

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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, com. mandées 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.]

Little cared they for Mahomet or Mufti,

Unless to make their kettle-drums a new skin Out of their hides, if parchment had grown dear, And no more handy substitute been near.

XVIII.

Then there were foreigners of much renown,
Of various nations, and all volunteers;
Not fighting for their country or its crown,
But wishing to be one day brigadiers:

Also to have the sacking of a town;

A pleasant thing to young men at their years. 'Mongst them were several Englishmen of pith, Sixteen call'd Thomson, and nineteen named Smith.

XIX.

Jack Thomson and Bill Thomson;-all the rest Had been call'd" Jemmy," after the great bard; I don't know whether they had arms or crest,

But such a godfather's as good a card. Three of the Smiths were Peters; but the best Amongst them all, hard blows to inflict or ward, Was he, since so renown'd" in country quarters At Halifax ;"(1) but now he served the Tartars.

XX.

The rest were Jacks and Gills and Wills and Bills ;
But when I've added that the elder Jack Smith

Was born in Cumberland among the hills,
And that his father was an honest blacksmith,

(1) [See the farce of " Love Laughs at Locksmiths."]