Seven long days, and seven long nights, Wild he wander'd, woe the while! Ceaseless care, and causeless fright, Urge his footsteps many a mile.

Dark the seventh sad night descends;
Rivers swell, and rain-streams pour;
While the deafening thunder lends
All the terrors of its roar.

Weary, wet, and spent with toil,

Where his head shall Frederick hide?

Where, but in yon ruin'd aisle,

By the lightning's flash descried.

To the portal, dank and low,

Fast his steed the wanderer bound: Down a ruin'd staircase slow,

Next his darkling way he wound.

Long drear vaults before him lie! Glimmering lights are seen to glide!"Blessed Mary, hear my cry!

Deign a sinner's steps to guide !”

Often lost their quivering beam,
Still the lights move slow before,
Till they rest their ghastly gleam
Right against an iron door.

Thundering voices from within,

Mix'd with peals of laughter, rose:

As they fell, a solemn strain

Lent its wild and wondrous close!

'Midst the din, he seem'd to hear

Voice of friends, by death removed ;Well he knew that solemn air,

'Twas the lay that Alice loved.—

Hark! for now a solemn knell

Four times on the still night broke:
Four times, at its deaden'd swell,
Echoes from the ruins spoke.

As the lengthen'd clangours die,
Slowly opes the iron door!
Straight a banquet met his eye,
But a funeral's form it wore!

Coffins for the seats extend;

All with black the board was spread; Girt by parent, brother, friend,

Long since number'd with the dead!

Alice, in her grave-clothes bound,
Ghastly smiling, points a seat;
All arose, with thundering sound;
All the expected stranger greet.

High their meagre arms they wave,
Wild their notes of welcome swell;-
"Welcome, traitor, to the grave!
Perjured, bid the light farewell!"

eee

THE BATTLE OF SEMPACH.

'Twas when among our linden-trees
The bees had housed in swarms,
(And grey-hair'd peasants say that these
Betoken foreign arms,)

Then look'd we down to Willisow,
The land was all in flame;
We knew the Archduke Leopold
With all his army came.

The Austrian nobles made their vow,
So hot their heart and bold,
"On Switzer carles we'll trample now,
And slay both young and old."

With clarion loud, and banner proud,
From Zurich on the lake,

In martial pomp and fair array,
Their onward march they make.

"Now list, ye lowland nobles all-
Ye seek the mountain strand,
Nor wot ye what shall be your

In such a dangerous land.

lot

'This translation first appeared in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine for February 1818. — Ed.

"I rede

ye, shrive ye of

your sins,

1

A skirmish in Helvetian hills

May send your souls to woe."

"But where now shall we find a priest
Our shrift that he may hear?"—
"The Switzer priest' has ta'en the field,
He deals a penance drear.

"Right heavily upon your head

He'll lay his hand of steel;
And with his trusty partisan
Your absolution deal."

'Twas on a Monday morning then,
The corn was steep'd'in dew,
And merry maids had sickles ta'en,
When the host to Sempach drew.

The stalwart men of fair Lucerne
Together have they join'd;
The pith and core of manhood stern,
Was none cast looks behind.

It was the Lord of Hare-castle,
And to the Duke he said,
"Yon little band of brethren true
Will meet us undismay'd."-

2

"O Hare-castle, thou heart of hare!"

Fierce Oxenstern replied.

1All the Swiss clergy who were able to bear arms fought in

this patriotic war.

In the original, Haasenstein, or Hare-stone.

"Shalt see then how the game will fare,"
The taunted knight replied.

There was lacing then of helmets bright,
And closing ranks amain;

The peaks they hew'd from their boot-points
Might well-nigh load a wain.'

And thus they to each other said,
"Yon handful down to hew
Will be no boastful tale to tell,
The peasants are so few."-

The gallant Swiss Confederates there
They pray'd to God aloud,
And he display'd his rainbow fair

Against a swarthy cloud.

Then heart and pulse throbb'd more and more
With courage firm and high,

And down the good Confed'rates bore

On the Austrian chivalry.

2

The Austrian Lion 'gan to growl,

And toss his main and tail;

And ball, and shaft, and crossbow bolt,
Went whistling forth like hail.

1This seems to allude to the preposterous fashion, during the middle ages, of wearing boots with the points or peaks turned upwards, and so long, that in some cases they were fastened to the knees of the wearer with small chains. When they alighted to fight upon foot, it would seem that the Austrian gentlemen found it necessary to cut off these peaks, that they might move with the necessary activity.

'A pun on the Archduke's name, Leopold