Gorging himself in gloom! No love was left;
All earth was but one thought-and that was death,
Immediate and inglorious! And the pang
Of famine fed upon all entrails! Men
Died, and their bones were tombless as their flesh:
The meagre by the meagre were devour'd!
Even dogs assail'd their masters, all save one,
And he was faithful to a corse, and kept
The birds and beasts and famish'd men at bay,
Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead
Lured their lank jaws; himself sought out no food,
But with a piteous and perpetual moan,
And a quick desolate cry, licking the hand
Which answer'd not with a caress—he died!
The crowd was famish’d by degrees; but two
Of an enormous city did survive,
And they were enemies; they met beside
The dying embers of an altar-place,
Where had been heap'd a mass of holy things
For an unholy usage; they raked up,
And shivering scraped with their cold skeleton hands
The feeble ashes, and their feeble breath
Blew for a little life, and made a flame
Which was a mockery; then they lifted up
Their eyes as it grew lighter, and beheld
Each other's aspects-saw, and shriek’d, and died-
Even of their mutual hideousness they died,
Unknowing who he was upon whose brow
Famine had written Fiend! The world was void,
The populous and the powerful was a lump,
Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless-
A lump of death—a chaos of hard clay!
The rivers, lakes, and ocean all stood still,
And nothing stirr’d within their silent depths!
Ships sailorless lay rotting on the sea,

And their masts fell down piecemeal; as they dropp’d
They slept on the abyss without a surge-
The waves were dead--the tides were in their grave;
The moon, their mistress, had expired before!
The winds were wither'd in the stagnant air,
And the clouds perish'd! Darkness had no need
Of aid from them-She was the universe.

COMAL AND GALVINA.

“MOURNful is thy tale, son of the car,” said Carril of other times. “ It sends my soul back to the ages of old, and to the days of other years.

Often have I heard of Comal, who slew the friend he loved; yet victory attended his steel; and the battle was consumed in his presence.

• Comal was the son of Albion; the chief of an hundred hills. His deer drank of a thousand streams. A thousand rocks replied to the voice of his dogs. His face was the mildness of youth. His hand the death of heroes. One was his love, and fair was she!—the daughter of mighty Conloch. She appeared like a sun-beam among women. Her hair was like the wing of the raven. Her dog's were taught to the chase. Her bow-string sounded on the winds of the forest. Her soul was fixed on Comal. Often met their eyes of love. Their course in the chase was one. Happy were their words in secret. But Gormal loved the maid, the dark chief of the gloomy Ardven. He watched her lone steps in the heath!—the foe of unhappy Comal.

“One day, tired of the chase, when the mist had concealed their friends, Comal and the daughter of Conloch met, in the cave of Ronan. It was the wonted haunt of Comal. Its sides were hung with his arms. A hundred shields of thongs were there; a hundred helms of sounding steel. “Rest here,' he said, 'my love, Galvina; thou light of the cave of Ronan! A deer appears on Mora's brow.

I go; but I will soon return. • I fear,' she said, “dark Gormal my foe; he haunts the cave of Ronan! I will rest among the arms; but soon return, my love.'

“ He went to the deer of Mora. The daughter of Conloch would needs try his love. She clothed her white sides with his armour, and strode from the cave of Ronan. He thought it was his foe. His heart beat high. His colour changed, and darkness dimmed his eyes. He drew the bow. The arrow flew. Galvina fell in blood! He ran with wildness in his steps, and called the daughter of Conloch. No answer in the lonely rock. Where art thou, O my love?' He saw at length her heaving heart beating around the feathered arrow. O Conloch's daughter!—is it thou?' He sunk upon her breast.

“ The hunters found the hapless pair. He afterwards walked the hill; but many and silent were his steps round the dark dwelling of his love. The fleet of the ocean came. He fought: the strangers fled. He searched for death along the field. But who could slay the mighty Comal! He threw away his dark-brown shield. An arrow found his manly breast. He sleeps with his loved Galvina, at the noise of the sounding surge! Their green tombs are seen by the mariner, when he bounds o'er the waves of the north.”

CATHOLIC CONFESSION.

A pious ostler, who did much repent

Of all his sins—and they were not a few—
Resolved one day to give his conscience vent,

And get his wicked soul white-wash'd anew:

So rose betimes next morn, and quickly knelt

Before a goodly priest with shaven crown,
One who--although he in a village dwelt-

Was not a novice in the tricks of town.

To him a free confession soon he made,

And boldly vow'd he ne'er would sin again; Hoping the holy sire would lend his aid,

From his polluted soul to wipe the stain.

“Son,” said the monk, “although thy crimes are great,

Enough to damn thy wretched, sinful soul, Too much I fear there's one you do not state,

And I, ere you're absolved, must hear the whole:

“Say, by your Lady, did you ne'er beneath

The manger keep some tallow in a horn, And did you never grease a horse's teeth,

To hinder him from surfeiting on corn?

No, father! no,” he cried; I'm not involved

In such a crime; indeed, I've named the whole.” So then the priest his load of sin absolved,

And home the ostler steer'd with white-wash'd soul.

Just six months after this, the ostler came

Again before the friar to confess; Acknowledging with penitential shame,

His greasing horses' teeth with great success.

“Oh, wicked son!” the holy father cried

“ Did you not tell me, when I saw you last,
That
you
had never in your

life applied
Grease to a horse's teeth to make him fast?"

Yes, holy sir, I did, and then spoke true!"
Replied the man of straw, with utterance quick:
For, though it may seem rather strange to you,
I never then had heard of such a trick!"

Y

BRUTUS AND CASSIUS.

Cas. That you have wrong’d me, doth appear in this: You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella For taking bribes here of the Sardians; Wherein my letter (praying on his side, Because I knew the man) was slighted of.

Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case.

Cas. In such a time as this, it is not meet
That every nice offence should bear its comment.

Bru. Yet let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemn’d to have an itching palm;
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To undeservers.

Cas. I an itching palm!
You know that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods! this speech were else your

last. Bru. The name of Cassius honours this corruption, And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.

Cas. Chastisement!

Bru. Remember March, the Ides of March remember!
Did not great Julius bleed for justice sake?
What! shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world,
But for supporting robbers—shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes ?
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus ?-
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

Cas. Brutus, bay not me:
I'll not endure it. You forget yourself,
To hedge me in: I am a soldier
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.