In the mean time the Gothic romance, although somewhat shook by the classical fictions, and by the tales of Boccace and Bandello, still maintained its ground; and the daring machineries of giants, dragons, and enchanted castles, borrowed from the magic storehouse of Boiardo, Ariosto, and Tasso, began to be employed by the epic The Gothic and pagan fictions were now frequently blended and incorporated. The Lady of the Lake floated in the suite of Neptune before Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth, and assumes the semblance of a sea-nymph; and. Hecate, by an easy association, conducts the rites of the weird sisters in Macbeth.

muse.

Allegory had been derived from the religious dramas into our civil spectacles. The masques and pageantries of the age of Elizabeth were not only furnished by the heathen divinities, but often by the virtues and vices impersonated, significantly decorated, accurately distinguished by their proper types, and represented by living actors. The ancient symbolical shows of this sort began now to lose their old barbarism and a mixture of religion, and to assume a degree of poetical elegance and precision. Nor was it only in the conformation of particular figures that much fancy was shown, but in the contexture of some of the fables or devices presented by groups of ideal personages. These exhibitions quickened creative invention, and reflected back on poetry what poetry had given. From their familiarity and public nature they formed a national taste for allegory; and the allegorical poets were now writing to the people. Even romance was turned into this channel. In the 'Faery Queen' allegory is wrought upon chivalry, and the feats and figments of Arthur's Round Table are moralised. The virtues of magnificence and chastity are here personified; but they are imaged with the forms, and under the agency, of romantic knights and damsels. What was an after-thought in Tasso, appears to have been Spenser's premeditated and primary design. In the mean time we must not confound these moral combatants of the 'Faery Queen' with some of its other embodied abstractions, which are purely and professedly allegorical.

It may here be added, that only a few critical treatises, and but one Art of Poetry, were now written. Sentiments and images were not absolutely determined by the canons of composition, nor was genius awed by the consciousness of a future and final arraignment at the tribunal of taste. A certain dignity of inattention to niceties is now visible in our writers. Without too closely consulting a criterion of correctness, every man indulged his own capriciousness of invention. The poet's appeal was chiefly to his own voluntary feelings, his own immediate and peculiar mode of conception; and this freedom of thought was often expressed in an undisguised frankness of diction.

No satires, properly so called, were written till towards the latter end of the queen's reign, and then but a few. Pictures drawn at large of the vices of the times, did not suit readers who loved to wander in the regions of artificial manners. The muse, like the people, was too solemn and reserved, too ceremonious and pedantic, to stoop to common life. Satire is the poetry of a nation highly polished. The importance of the female character was not yet acknowledged, nor were women admitted into the general commerce of society. The effect of that intercourse had not imparted a comic air to poetry, nor softened the severer tone of our versification with the levities of gallantry and the familiarities of compliment, sometimes, perhaps, operating on serious subjects, and imperceptibly spreading themselves in the general habits of style and thought. I do not mean to insinuate that our poetry has suffered from the great change of manners which this assumption of the gentler sex, or rather the improved state of female education, has produced, by giving elegance and variety to life, by enlarging the sphere of conversation, and by multiplying the topics and enriching the stores of wit and humour; but I am marking the peculiarities of composition, and my meaning was to suggest that the absence

of so important a circumstance from the modes and constitution of ancient life must have influenced the cotemporary poetry.

All or most of these circumstances contributed to give a descriptive, a picturesque, and a figurative cast to the poetical language. This effect appears even in the prose compositions of the reign of Elizabeth. In the subsequent age prose became the language of poetry.

In the mean time general knowledge was increasing with a wide diffusion and a hasty rapidity. Books began to be multiplied, and a variety of the most useful and rational topics had been discussed in our own language. But science had not made too great advances. On the whole we were now arrived at that period, propitious to the operations of original and true poetry, when the coyness of fancy was not always proof against the approaches of reason; when genius was rather directed than governed by judgment; and when taste and learning had so far only disciplined imagination, as to suffer its excesses to pass without censure or control for the sake of the beauties to which they were allied.

227.-SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSE FRENCH FRIGATE.

(From the Quarterly Review.)

THE French possessions on the west coast of Africa having been restored at the general peace, an expedition, consisting of a frigate and three other vessels, was sent in the month of June, 1816, to take possession of them.

Owing to a very relaxed state of discipline, and an ignorance of the common principles of navigation which would have disgraced a private merchant ship, this frigate, the Méduse, was suffered to run aground on the bank of Arguin. It was soon discovered that all hopes of getting her off must be abandoned, and that nothing remained but to concert measures for the escape of the passengers and crew. Some biscuit, wine, and fresh water, were accordingly got up and prepared for putting into the boats and upon a raft which had been hastily constructed; but, in the tumult of abandoning the wreck, it happened that the raft which was destined to carry the greatest number of people, had the least share of the provisions: of wine, indeed, it had more than enough, but not a single barrel of biscuit.

There were five boats. The military had, in the first instance, been placed upon the raft. The number embarked on this fatal machine was not less than one hundred and fifty, making, with those in the boats, a total of three hundred and ninety-seven.

The boats pushed off in a line, towing the raft, and assuring the people on board that they would conduct them safely to land. They had not proceeded, however, above two leagues from the wreck, when they, one by one, cast off the tow-lines. It was afterwards pretended that they broke. Had this even been true, the boats might at any time have rejoined the raft, instead of which they all abandoned it to its fate, every one striving to make off with all possible speed.

At this time the raft had sunk below the surface to the depth of three feet and a half, and the people were so squeezed one against another that it was found impossible to move; fore and aft they were up to the middle in water. In such deplorable situation, it was with difficulty they could persuade themselves that they had been abandoned; nor would they believe it until the whole of the boats had disappeared from their sight. They now began to consider themselves as deliberately sacrificed, and swore to be revenged of their unfeeling companions if ever they gained the shore. The consternation soon became extreme. Every thing that was horrible took possession of their imaginations; all perceived their destruction to be at hand, and announced by their wailings the dismal thoughts by which they

In the mean time the Gothic romance, although somewhat shook by the classical fictions, and by the tales of Boccace and Bandello, still maintained its ground; and the daring machineries of giants, dragons, and enchanted castles, borrowed from the magic storehouse of Boiardo, Ariosto, and Tasso, began to be employed by the epic The Gothic and pagan fictions were now frequently blended and incorporated. The Lady of the Lake floated in the suite of Neptune before Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth, and assumes the semblance of a sea-nymph; and Hecate. by an easy association, conducts the rites of the weird sisters in Macbeth.

muse.

Allegory had been derived from the religious dramas into our civil spectac The masques and pageantries of the age of Elizabeth were not only furnishes the heathen divinities, but often by the virtues and vices impersonated, signi decorated, accurately distinguished by their proper types, and represented actors. The ancient symbolical shows of this sort began now to lose barbarism and a mixture of religion, and to assume a degree of poeti and precision. Nor was it only in the conformation of particular fig fancy was shown, but in the contexture of some of the fables or dey by groups of ideal personages. These exhibitions quickened creativ reflected back on poetry what poetry had given. From their fam nature they formed a national taste for allegory; and the a now writing to the people. Even romance was turned into 'Faery Queen' allegory is wrought upon chivalry, and the Arthur's Round Table are moralised. The virtues of ma here personified; but they are imaged with the forms, romantic knights and damsels. What was an after-t'. have been Spenser's premeditated and primary desi not confound these moral combatants of the 'Fac embodied abstractions, which are purely and profo It may here be added, that only a few criti Poetry, were now written. Sentiments and in by the canons of composition, nor was genin and final arraignment at the tribunal of t

THOMAS WARTOK.

of so important

must have infenced an
All or most c
que, and a figure be
prose composTIONS DÉAN
the language of poetry.
In the meantime
hasty rapidity
rational topics da
too greates
to the operations of
always p
than governed
imagination,
of the ben

"मा

BOUT
Com

20

cried out for mercy, and asked forand order appeared to be restored; e insurrection burst forth anew. The ate men, each having a knife or a sabre assailants that they tore their flesh, and was no time for hesitation; a general ewed with dead bodies.

t, in the course of the preceding night of ad perished, and two of the small party attached only remained. Before the allowance was served cir mast afresh; but having no compass, and not course, they let the raft drive before the wind, appay went. Enfeebled with hunger, they now tried to ceed, and abandoned the attempt. At length, what is Py men, whom death had spared in the course of the es of the dead and began to devour them. Some tried to tridge boxes: others devoured their linen, and others but all these expedients, and others of a still more loath› avail.

Tror now approached; but it proved to be a night of tranly by the piercing cries of those whom hunger and thirst morning a shoal of flying fish, in passing the raft, left nearly angled between the spars. By means of a little gunpowder and recting an empty cask, they contrived to make a fire; and mixing he flesh of a deceased comrade, they all partook of a meal, which, by was rendered less revolting.

urth night was marked by another massacre. Their numbers were at reduced to twenty-eight, fifteen of whom only appeared to be able to exist w days; the other thirteen were so reduced that they had nearly lost all of existence. As their case was hopeless, and as, while they lived, they would me a part of the little that was left, a council was held, and, after a deliberaon at which the most horrible despair is said to have presided, it was decided to throw them overboard. "Three sailors and a soldier undertook the execution of this cruel sentence. We turned away our eyes, and shed tears of blood on the fate of these unfortunate men; but this painful sacrifice saved the fifteen who remained, and who, after this dreadful catastrophe, had six days of suffering to undergo before they were relieved from their dismal situation." At the end of this period a small vessel was descried at a distance; she proved to be the Argus brig, which had been despatched from Senegal to look out for them. All hearts on board were melted with pity at their deplorable condition. "Let any one," say our unfortunate narrators, "figure to himself fifteen unhappy creatures almost naked, their bodies shrivelled by the rays of the sun, ten of thèm scarcely able to move; our limbs stripped of the skin; a total change in all our features; our eyes hollow, and almost savage; our long beards, which gave us an air almost hideous; we were in fact but the shadows of ourselves."

Such is the history of these unfortunate men! Of the hundred and fifty embarked on the raft, fifteen only were received on board the brig; and of these six died shortly after their arrival at St. Louis, and the remaining nine, covered with cicatrices, and exhausted by the suffering to which they were so long exposed, are stated to have been entirely altered in appearance and constitution. We are shocked to add, such were the neglect and indifference of their shipmates, who had arrived there in safety, that had it not been for the humane attention of Major Peddy and

were distracted. The officers, with great difficulty, and by putting on a show of confidence, succeeded at length in restoring them to a certain degree of tranquillity, but were themselves overcome with alarm on finding that there was neither chart, nor compass, nor anchor, on the raft. One of the men belonging to M. Corréard, geographical engineer, had fortunately preserved a small pocket compass; and this little instrument inspired them with so much confidence that they conceived their safety to depend on it. But this treasure, above all price, was speedily snatched from them for ever; it fell from the man's hand, and disappeared between the openings of the raft.

None of the party had taken any food before they left the ship; and hunger beginning to oppress them, they mixed the biscuit, of which they had about five and twenty pounds on board, with wine, and distributed it in small portions to cach man. They succeeded in erecting a kind of mast, and hoisting one of the royals that had belonged to the frigate.

Night at length came on, the wind freshened, and the sea began to swell. The only consolation now was the belief that they should discover the boats the following morning. About midnight the weather became very stormy, and the waves broke over them in every direction. In the morning the wind abated, and the sea subsided a little; but a dreadful spectacle presented itself. Ten or twelve of the unhappy men, having their lower extremities jammed between the spars of the raft, unable to extricate themselves, had perished in that situation; several others had been swept off by the violence of the waves. In calling over the list, it was found that twenty had disappeared.

All this, however, was nothing to the dreadful scene which took place the following night. The day had been beautiful, and no one seemed to doubt that the boats would appear in the course of it to relieve them from their perilous state; but the evening approached, and none were seen. From that moment a spirit of sedition spread from man to man, and manifested itself by the most furious shouts. Night came on; the heavens were obscured with thick clouds; the wind rose, and with it the sea; the waves broke over them every moment; numbers were swept away, particularly near the extremities of the raft; and the crowding towards the centre of it was so great that several poor wretches were smothered by the pressure of their comrades, who were unable to keep on their legs.

Firmly persuaded that they were on the point of being swallowed up, both soldiers and sailors resolved to soothe their last moments by drinking till they lost their reason! They bored a hole in the head of a large cask, from which they continued to swill till the salt water, mixing with the wine, rendered it no longer potable. Excited by the fumes, acting on empty stomachs and heads already disordered by danger, they now became deaf to the voice of reason, boldly declared their intention to murder their officers, and then cut the ropes which bound the raft together. One of them, seizing an axe, actually began the dreadful work. This was the signal for revolt. The officers rushed forward to quell the tumult, and the man with the hatchet was the first that fell; the stroke of a sabre terminated his existence.

The passengers joined the officers, but the mutineers were still the greater number. Luckily they were but badly armed, or the few bayonets and sabres of the opposite party could not have kept them at bay. One fellow was detected secretly cutting the ropes, and immediately flung overboard; others destroyed the shrouds and halyards; and the mast, deprived of support, fell on a captain of infantry and broke his thigh. He was instantly seized by the soldiers and thrown into the sea, but was saved by the opposite party. A furious charge was now made upon the mutineers, many of whom were cut down. At length this fit of despera