6.—Page 276, stanza xix."TheKnights of Love;" some type the name conveys.The three ardent lovers of the island of Britain—Caswallawn, Tristan, and Cynon (for the last, already placed amongst the counselling knights, Caradoc is substituted).—Lady C. Guest'sMabinog., vol. i. note to p. 94.
6.—Page 276, stanza xix.
"TheKnights of Love;" some type the name conveys.
"TheKnights of Love;" some type the name conveys.
The three ardent lovers of the island of Britain—Caswallawn, Tristan, and Cynon (for the last, already placed amongst the counselling knights, Caradoc is substituted).—Lady C. Guest'sMabinog., vol. i. note to p. 94.
7.—Page 276, stanza xix.Caswallawn; Trystan of the lion rock.Trystan's birth-place, Lyonness, is supposed to have been that part of Cornwall since destroyed by the sea. See Southey's note toMorte d'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 477.
7.—Page 276, stanza xix.
Caswallawn; Trystan of the lion rock.
Caswallawn; Trystan of the lion rock.
Trystan's birth-place, Lyonness, is supposed to have been that part of Cornwall since destroyed by the sea. See Southey's note toMorte d'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 477.
8.—Page 279, stanza xlv.In Castel d'Asso's vale of hero-tombs.Castel d'Asso (the Castellum Axia, in Cicero), the name now given to the valleys near Viterbo, which formed the great burial-place of the Etrurians. Near these valleys, and, as some suppose, on the site of Viterbo, was Voltumna (Fanum Voltumnæ), at which the twelve sovereigns of the twelve dynasties, and the other chiefs of the Etrurians, met in the spring of every year. Views of the rock-temples at Norchea, in this neighbourhood, are to be seen inInghirami'sEtrusc. Antiq.
8.—Page 279, stanza xlv.
In Castel d'Asso's vale of hero-tombs.
In Castel d'Asso's vale of hero-tombs.
Castel d'Asso (the Castellum Axia, in Cicero), the name now given to the valleys near Viterbo, which formed the great burial-place of the Etrurians. Near these valleys, and, as some suppose, on the site of Viterbo, was Voltumna (Fanum Voltumnæ), at which the twelve sovereigns of the twelve dynasties, and the other chiefs of the Etrurians, met in the spring of every year. Views of the rock-temples at Norchea, in this neighbourhood, are to be seen inInghirami'sEtrusc. Antiq.
9.—Page 280, stanza xlvii.HereSethlans, sovereign of life's fix'd domains.Sethlans, the Etrurian Vulcan. He appears sometimes to assume the attributes of Terminus, though in a higher and more ethereal sense—presiding over the bounds of life, as Terminus over those of the land.
9.—Page 280, stanza xlvii.
HereSethlans, sovereign of life's fix'd domains.
HereSethlans, sovereign of life's fix'd domains.
Sethlans, the Etrurian Vulcan. He appears sometimes to assume the attributes of Terminus, though in a higher and more ethereal sense—presiding over the bounds of life, as Terminus over those of the land.
10.—Page 280, stanza lii.On the Fork'd Hill), abjures his genial smile.Tinia, the Etrurian Bacchus (son of Tina), identified symbolically with the god of the infernal regions. In the funeral monuments he sometimes assumes the most fearful aspect. The above description of the Etrurian Hades, with its eight gates, is taken in each detail from vases and funeral monuments, most of which are cited byMicali.
10.—Page 280, stanza lii.
On the Fork'd Hill), abjures his genial smile.
On the Fork'd Hill), abjures his genial smile.
Tinia, the Etrurian Bacchus (son of Tina), identified symbolically with the god of the infernal regions. In the funeral monuments he sometimes assumes the most fearful aspect. The above description of the Etrurian Hades, with its eight gates, is taken in each detail from vases and funeral monuments, most of which are cited byMicali.
11.—Page 285, stanza lxxxii.Woe on the helmet-crown of Dorian kings!In moonless nights, every eighth year, the Spartan Ephors consulted the heavens; if there appeared the meteor, which we call the shooting-star, they adjudged their kings to have committed some offence against the gods, and suspended them from their office till acquitted by the Delphic oracle, or Olympian priests.—Plut.Agis, 11;Muller'sDorians, b. iii. c. 6.
11.—Page 285, stanza lxxxii.
Woe on the helmet-crown of Dorian kings!
Woe on the helmet-crown of Dorian kings!
In moonless nights, every eighth year, the Spartan Ephors consulted the heavens; if there appeared the meteor, which we call the shooting-star, they adjudged their kings to have committed some offence against the gods, and suspended them from their office till acquitted by the Delphic oracle, or Olympian priests.—Plut.Agis, 11;Muller'sDorians, b. iii. c. 6.
12.—Page 287, stanza c.Etrurian Næniæ, load the lagging wind.Næniæ, the funeral hymns borrowed by the Romans from the Etrurians.
12.—Page 287, stanza c.
Etrurian Næniæ, load the lagging wind.
Etrurian Næniæ, load the lagging wind.
Næniæ, the funeral hymns borrowed by the Romans from the Etrurians.
13.—Page 288, stanza vi.Bright Cupra braids thy hair.Cupra, or Talna, corresponding with Juno, the nuptial goddess.
13.—Page 288, stanza vi.
Bright Cupra braids thy hair.
Bright Cupra braids thy hair.
Cupra, or Talna, corresponding with Juno, the nuptial goddess.
1.—Page 293, stanza ii.Stretch'd o'er the steel-clad hush their swordless hands.See Tacitus, lib. xiv. cap. 30, for the celebrated description of the attack on the Druids, in their refuge in Mona, under Publius Suetonius.
1.—Page 293, stanza ii.
Stretch'd o'er the steel-clad hush their swordless hands.
Stretch'd o'er the steel-clad hush their swordless hands.
See Tacitus, lib. xiv. cap. 30, for the celebrated description of the attack on the Druids, in their refuge in Mona, under Publius Suetonius.
2.—Page 296, stanza xxv."You know the proverb—'birds of the same feather,'A proverb much enforced in penal laws.In Welch laws it was sufficient to condemn a person to be found with notorious offenders.
2.—Page 296, stanza xxv.
"You know the proverb—'birds of the same feather,'A proverb much enforced in penal laws.
"You know the proverb—'birds of the same feather,'A proverb much enforced in penal laws.
In Welch laws it was sufficient to condemn a person to be found with notorious offenders.
3.—Page 299, stanza xl.'Twould favour white, and raise the deuce in black.If the celebrated controversy between Black and White, which divided the Cymrian church in King Arthur's days, should seem to suggest a parallel instance in our own,—the Author begs sincerely to say that he is more inclined to grieve than to jest at a schism which threatens to separate from so large a body of the upholders of the English church the abilities and learning of no despicable portion of the English clergy. There is a division more dangerous than that between theologian and theologian—viz., a division between the Pastors and their flocks—between the teaching of the pulpit and the sympathy of the audience. Far from the Author be the rash presumption to hazard any opinion as to matters of doctrine, on which—such as Regeneration by Baptism—it cannot be expected that, for the sake of expediency or even concord, the remarkable thinkers who have emerged from the schools of Oxford should admit of compromise;—but he asks, with the respectdue to zeal and erudition, whether it be worth while to inflame dispute, and risk congregations—for the colour of a gown?
3.—Page 299, stanza xl.
'Twould favour white, and raise the deuce in black.
'Twould favour white, and raise the deuce in black.
If the celebrated controversy between Black and White, which divided the Cymrian church in King Arthur's days, should seem to suggest a parallel instance in our own,—the Author begs sincerely to say that he is more inclined to grieve than to jest at a schism which threatens to separate from so large a body of the upholders of the English church the abilities and learning of no despicable portion of the English clergy. There is a division more dangerous than that between theologian and theologian—viz., a division between the Pastors and their flocks—between the teaching of the pulpit and the sympathy of the audience. Far from the Author be the rash presumption to hazard any opinion as to matters of doctrine, on which—such as Regeneration by Baptism—it cannot be expected that, for the sake of expediency or even concord, the remarkable thinkers who have emerged from the schools of Oxford should admit of compromise;—but he asks, with the respectdue to zeal and erudition, whether it be worth while to inflame dispute, and risk congregations—for the colour of a gown?
4.—Page 300, stanza lii.(If wine this be) ye come fromHuerdan'sshore.Huerdan, i. e. Ireland, pronounced, in the Poem, as a dissyllable.
4.—Page 300, stanza lii.
(If wine this be) ye come fromHuerdan'sshore.
(If wine this be) ye come fromHuerdan'sshore.
Huerdan, i. e. Ireland, pronounced, in the Poem, as a dissyllable.
5.—Page 306, stanza xcv.But never yet the dog our bounty fedBetray'd the kindness or forgot the bread.The whole of that part of Sir Gawaine's adventures, which includes the incidents of the sword and the hound, is borrowed (with alterations) from one ofLe Grand'sFabliaux.
5.—Page 306, stanza xcv.
But never yet the dog our bounty fedBetray'd the kindness or forgot the bread.
But never yet the dog our bounty fedBetray'd the kindness or forgot the bread.
The whole of that part of Sir Gawaine's adventures, which includes the incidents of the sword and the hound, is borrowed (with alterations) from one ofLe Grand'sFabliaux.
6.—Page 307, stanza c.Of evil fame was Nannau's antique tree,Yet styled the "hollow oak of demon race."In the domain of Nannau (which now belongs to the Vaughans) was standing, to within a period comparatively recent, the legendary oak called Derwen Ceubren yr Ellyll—the hollow oak, the haunt of demons.
6.—Page 307, stanza c.
Of evil fame was Nannau's antique tree,Yet styled the "hollow oak of demon race."
Of evil fame was Nannau's antique tree,Yet styled the "hollow oak of demon race."
In the domain of Nannau (which now belongs to the Vaughans) was standing, to within a period comparatively recent, the legendary oak called Derwen Ceubren yr Ellyll—the hollow oak, the haunt of demons.
7.—Page 307, stanza ci.Or prison'd Mawddach clangs his triple chain.Mawddach, with its three waterfalls.
7.—Page 307, stanza ci.
Or prison'd Mawddach clangs his triple chain.
Or prison'd Mawddach clangs his triple chain.
Mawddach, with its three waterfalls.
8.—Page 308, stanza ciii.And herds of deer as slight as Jura's roe.The deer in the park of Nannau are singularly small.
8.—Page 308, stanza ciii.
And herds of deer as slight as Jura's roe.
And herds of deer as slight as Jura's roe.
The deer in the park of Nannau are singularly small.
9.—Page 312, stanza cxxvii.Thor ever nursed, or Rana ever knew.Ran, or Rana, the malignant goddess of the sea, in Scandinavian mythology.
9.—Page 312, stanza cxxvii.
Thor ever nursed, or Rana ever knew.
Thor ever nursed, or Rana ever knew.
Ran, or Rana, the malignant goddess of the sea, in Scandinavian mythology.
1.—Page 314, stanza iii.Or the Nymph-mother of the silver feet.'The silver-footed Thetis.'—Homer.
1.—Page 314, stanza iii.
Or the Nymph-mother of the silver feet.
Or the Nymph-mother of the silver feet.
'The silver-footed Thetis.'—Homer.
2.—Page 322, stanza lvii.An armèd King—three lions on his shield—Richard Cœur de Lion;—poetically speaking, the mythic Arthur was the Father of the age of adventure and knighthood—and the legends respecting him reigned with full influence in the period which Richard Cœur de Lion here (generally and without strict prosaic regard to chronology) represents; from the lay of the Troubadour and the song of the Saracen—to the final concentration or chivalric romance in the muse of Ariosto.
2.—Page 322, stanza lvii.
An armèd King—three lions on his shield—
An armèd King—three lions on his shield—
Richard Cœur de Lion;—poetically speaking, the mythic Arthur was the Father of the age of adventure and knighthood—and the legends respecting him reigned with full influence in the period which Richard Cœur de Lion here (generally and without strict prosaic regard to chronology) represents; from the lay of the Troubadour and the song of the Saracen—to the final concentration or chivalric romance in the muse of Ariosto.
1.—Page 332, stanza xi.Frank were those times of trustful Chevisaunce.Chevisaunce.—Spenser.
1.—Page 332, stanza xi.
Frank were those times of trustful Chevisaunce.
Frank were those times of trustful Chevisaunce.
Chevisaunce.—Spenser.
2.—Page 332, stanza xiv.Roved the same pastures when the Mead-month smiled.TheMead-month, June.
2.—Page 332, stanza xiv.
Roved the same pastures when the Mead-month smiled.
Roved the same pastures when the Mead-month smiled.
TheMead-month, June.
3.—Page 334, stanza xxv.And the strong seid compell'd revealing ghosts.Magic.
3.—Page 334, stanza xxv.
And the strong seid compell'd revealing ghosts.
And the strong seid compell'd revealing ghosts.
Magic.
4.—Page 334, stanza xxvii.Till the Last Twilight darken round the Gods.At Ragnarök, or the Twilight of the Gods, the Aser and the Giants are to destroy each other, and the whole earth is to be consumed.
4.—Page 334, stanza xxvii.
Till the Last Twilight darken round the Gods.
Till the Last Twilight darken round the Gods.
At Ragnarök, or the Twilight of the Gods, the Aser and the Giants are to destroy each other, and the whole earth is to be consumed.
5.—Page 334, stanza xxviii.Stands my great Sire—the Saxon's Herman-Saul.Herman-Saul (or Saule), often corruptly written Irminsula, Armensula, &c., the name of the celebrated Teuton Idol, representing an armed warrior on a column, destroyed by Charlemagne,a.d.772.
5.—Page 334, stanza xxviii.
Stands my great Sire—the Saxon's Herman-Saul.
Stands my great Sire—the Saxon's Herman-Saul.
Herman-Saul (or Saule), often corruptly written Irminsula, Armensula, &c., the name of the celebrated Teuton Idol, representing an armed warrior on a column, destroyed by Charlemagne,a.d.772.
6.—Page 334, stanza xxix.Far from our dangers Astrild woos thy hand.Astrild, the Cupid of the Northern Mythology.
6.—Page 334, stanza xxix.
Far from our dangers Astrild woos thy hand.
Far from our dangers Astrild woos thy hand.
Astrild, the Cupid of the Northern Mythology.
7.—Page 334, stanza xxxi.Than Beorn, the Incarnate Fenris of the main.Fenris, the Demon Wolf, Son of Asa Lok.
7.—Page 334, stanza xxxi.
Than Beorn, the Incarnate Fenris of the main.
Than Beorn, the Incarnate Fenris of the main.
Fenris, the Demon Wolf, Son of Asa Lok.
8.—Page 336, stanza xliv.Dark, save when swift and sharp, and griding through.Griding.—Milton."Thegridingsword with discontinuous wound," &c.
8.—Page 336, stanza xliv.
Dark, save when swift and sharp, and griding through.
Dark, save when swift and sharp, and griding through.
Griding.—Milton."Thegridingsword with discontinuous wound," &c.
9.—Page 338, stanza lv.Lonely he strays till Æthra sees againHer starry children smiling on the main.Both the Pleiades and the Hyades are said to be the daughters of Æthra, one of the Oceanides, by Atlas.
9.—Page 338, stanza lv.
Lonely he strays till Æthra sees againHer starry children smiling on the main.
Lonely he strays till Æthra sees againHer starry children smiling on the main.
Both the Pleiades and the Hyades are said to be the daughters of Æthra, one of the Oceanides, by Atlas.
10.—Page 338, stanza lviii.Reign storm-girt Arcas, and the Mother Star.Ursa MajorandUrsa Minor, near the North Pole, supposed by the Poets to be Arcas and his mother.
10.—Page 338, stanza lviii.
Reign storm-girt Arcas, and the Mother Star.
Reign storm-girt Arcas, and the Mother Star.
Ursa MajorandUrsa Minor, near the North Pole, supposed by the Poets to be Arcas and his mother.
11.—Page 339, stanza lxiv.And from the rapture woke!—All fiercely round, &c.The reader will perhaps perceive, that the above passage, containing the Vision of Ægle, is partially borrowed from the apparition of Clorinda, inTasso.—Cant.xii.
11.—Page 339, stanza lxiv.
And from the rapture woke!—All fiercely round, &c.
And from the rapture woke!—All fiercely round, &c.
The reader will perhaps perceive, that the above passage, containing the Vision of Ægle, is partially borrowed from the apparition of Clorinda, inTasso.—Cant.xii.
12.—Page 341, stanza lxxx.Is it the Freya, whom your scalds have sung.Freya is the goddess of love, beauty, and Hymen; the Scandinavian Venus.
12.—Page 341, stanza lxxx.
Is it the Freya, whom your scalds have sung.
Is it the Freya, whom your scalds have sung.
Freya is the goddess of love, beauty, and Hymen; the Scandinavian Venus.
13.—Page 343, stanza xc.O Dog skoinophagous—a tooth for mine!—Id est, "rope-eating"—a compound adjective borrowed from such Greek as Sir Gawaine might have learned at the then flourishing college of Caerleon. The lessons of education naturally recur to us in our troubles.
13.—Page 343, stanza xc.
O Dog skoinophagous—a tooth for mine!—
O Dog skoinophagous—a tooth for mine!—
Id est, "rope-eating"—a compound adjective borrowed from such Greek as Sir Gawaine might have learned at the then flourishing college of Caerleon. The lessons of education naturally recur to us in our troubles.
1.—Page 346, stanza i.Form'd of the frost-gems ages labour forthThe mountains of hard and perfect ice are the gradual production, perhaps, of many centuries.—Leslie'sPolar Seas and Regions.
1.—Page 346, stanza i.
Form'd of the frost-gems ages labour forth
Form'd of the frost-gems ages labour forth
The mountains of hard and perfect ice are the gradual production, perhaps, of many centuries.—Leslie'sPolar Seas and Regions.
2.—Page 346, stanza ii.Here did the venturous Ithacan explore.Ulysses.Odys., lib. xi.
2.—Page 346, stanza ii.
Here did the venturous Ithacan explore.
Here did the venturous Ithacan explore.
Ulysses.Odys., lib. xi.
3.—Page 347, stanza iii.And, with the birth of fairy forests rife,Blushes the world of white.The phenomenon of the red snow on the Arctic mountains is formed by innumerable vegetable bodies; and the olive green of the Greenland Sea by Medusan animalcules, the number of which Mr. Scoresby illustrates by supposing that 80,000 persons would have been employed since the creation in counting it.—SeeLeslie.
3.—Page 347, stanza iii.
And, with the birth of fairy forests rife,Blushes the world of white.
And, with the birth of fairy forests rife,Blushes the world of white.
The phenomenon of the red snow on the Arctic mountains is formed by innumerable vegetable bodies; and the olive green of the Greenland Sea by Medusan animalcules, the number of which Mr. Scoresby illustrates by supposing that 80,000 persons would have been employed since the creation in counting it.—SeeLeslie.
4.—Page 347, stanza iv.The morse emerging rears the face of man.The Morse, or Walrus, supposed to be the original of the Merman; from the likeness its face presents at a little distance to that of a human being.
4.—Page 347, stanza iv.
The morse emerging rears the face of man.
The morse emerging rears the face of man.
The Morse, or Walrus, supposed to be the original of the Merman; from the likeness its face presents at a little distance to that of a human being.
5.—Page 347, stanza viii.Floats the vast ice-field with its glassy blink.The ice-blink seen on the horizon.
5.—Page 347, stanza viii.
Floats the vast ice-field with its glassy blink.
Floats the vast ice-field with its glassy blink.
The ice-blink seen on the horizon.
6.—Page 348, stanza xiii.While the dire pest-scourge of the frozen zone.Though the fearful disease known by the name of the scurvy is not peculiar to the northern latitudes; and Dr. Budd has ably disproved (in the Library of Practical Medicine) the old theory that it originated in cold and moisture; yet the disease was known in the north of Europe from the remotest ages, while no mention is made of its appearance in more genial climates before the year 1260.
6.—Page 348, stanza xiii.
While the dire pest-scourge of the frozen zone.
While the dire pest-scourge of the frozen zone.
Though the fearful disease known by the name of the scurvy is not peculiar to the northern latitudes; and Dr. Budd has ably disproved (in the Library of Practical Medicine) the old theory that it originated in cold and moisture; yet the disease was known in the north of Europe from the remotest ages, while no mention is made of its appearance in more genial climates before the year 1260.
7.—Page 349, stanza xxii.And round and round the bark the narwal sweeps.The Sea Unicorn.
7.—Page 349, stanza xxii.
And round and round the bark the narwal sweeps.
And round and round the bark the narwal sweeps.
The Sea Unicorn.
8.—Page 350, stanza xxv.front after front they riseWith their bright stare.The eye of the Walrus is singularly bright.
8.—Page 350, stanza xxv.
front after front they riseWith their bright stare.
front after front they riseWith their bright stare.
The eye of the Walrus is singularly bright.
9.—Page 351, stanza xxxvii.The ravening glaucus sudden shooting o'er.The Larus Glaucus, the great bird of prey in the Polar regions.
9.—Page 351, stanza xxxvii.
The ravening glaucus sudden shooting o'er.
The ravening glaucus sudden shooting o'er.
The Larus Glaucus, the great bird of prey in the Polar regions.
10.—Page 352, stanza xl.Blithe from the turf the Dove the blessèd leaves.Herbs which act as the antidotes to the scurvy (the cochlearia, &c.) are found under the snows, when all other vegetation seems to cease.
10.—Page 352, stanza xl.
Blithe from the turf the Dove the blessèd leaves.
Blithe from the turf the Dove the blessèd leaves.
Herbs which act as the antidotes to the scurvy (the cochlearia, &c.) are found under the snows, when all other vegetation seems to cease.
11.—Page 354, stanza liv.The earthlier half, its own and Heaven's before.In allusion to the well-known Platonic fancy, that love is the yearning of the soul for the twin soul with which it was united in a former existence, and which it instinctively recognizes below. Schiller, in one of his earlier poems, has enlarged on this idea with earnest feeling and vigorous fancy.
11.—Page 354, stanza liv.
The earthlier half, its own and Heaven's before.
The earthlier half, its own and Heaven's before.
In allusion to the well-known Platonic fancy, that love is the yearning of the soul for the twin soul with which it was united in a former existence, and which it instinctively recognizes below. Schiller, in one of his earlier poems, has enlarged on this idea with earnest feeling and vigorous fancy.
12.—Page 357, stanza lxxiii.Ice-blocks the walls, and hollow'd ice the roof!The houses of the Esquimaux who received Captain Lyon were thus constructed:—the frozen snow being formed into slabs of about two feet long and half a foot thick; the benches were made with snow, strewed with twigs, and covered with skins; and the lamp suspended from the roof, fed with seal or walrus oil, was the sole substitute for the hearth, and furnished light and fire for cooking.The Esquimaux were known to the settlers and pirates of Norway by the contemptuous name of dwarfs or pigmies—(Skrœllings).
12.—Page 357, stanza lxxiii.
Ice-blocks the walls, and hollow'd ice the roof!
Ice-blocks the walls, and hollow'd ice the roof!
The houses of the Esquimaux who received Captain Lyon were thus constructed:—the frozen snow being formed into slabs of about two feet long and half a foot thick; the benches were made with snow, strewed with twigs, and covered with skins; and the lamp suspended from the roof, fed with seal or walrus oil, was the sole substitute for the hearth, and furnished light and fire for cooking.
The Esquimaux were known to the settlers and pirates of Norway by the contemptuous name of dwarfs or pigmies—(Skrœllings).
13.—Page 358, stanza lxxxi.which certain Norway hagsHad squeezed from heaven and bottled up in bags.A well-known popular superstition, not, perhaps, quite extinct at this day, amongst the Baltic mariners.
13.—Page 358, stanza lxxxi.
which certain Norway hagsHad squeezed from heaven and bottled up in bags.
which certain Norway hagsHad squeezed from heaven and bottled up in bags.
A well-known popular superstition, not, perhaps, quite extinct at this day, amongst the Baltic mariners.
14.—Page 360, stanza xciv."I was shotInto a ridge of what they call afloe.The smaller kind of ice-field is called by the northern whale-fishers "a floe,"—the name is probably of very ancient date.
14.—Page 360, stanza xciv.
"I was shotInto a ridge of what they call afloe.
"I was shotInto a ridge of what they call afloe.
The smaller kind of ice-field is called by the northern whale-fishers "a floe,"—the name is probably of very ancient date.
15.—Page 361, stanza cii."The dwarfs, deliver'd, kneel, and pull their noses.A salutation still in vogue among certain tribes of the Esquimaux.
15.—Page 361, stanza cii.
"The dwarfs, deliver'd, kneel, and pull their noses.
"The dwarfs, deliver'd, kneel, and pull their noses.
A salutation still in vogue among certain tribes of the Esquimaux.
1.—Page 366, stanza iii.A second Sun his lurid front uprears!The apparition of two or more suns in the polar firmament is well known. Mr. Ellis saw six—they are most brilliant at daybreak—and though diminished in splendour, are still visible even after the appearance of the real sun.
1.—Page 366, stanza iii.
A second Sun his lurid front uprears!
A second Sun his lurid front uprears!
The apparition of two or more suns in the polar firmament is well known. Mr. Ellis saw six—they are most brilliant at daybreak—and though diminished in splendour, are still visible even after the appearance of the real sun.
2.—Page 369, stanza xxvi.And tread where erst the Sire of freemen trod.Thor's visit to the realms of Hela and Lok forms a prominent incident in the romance of Scandinavian mythology.
2.—Page 369, stanza xxvi.
And tread where erst the Sire of freemen trod.
And tread where erst the Sire of freemen trod.
Thor's visit to the realms of Hela and Lok forms a prominent incident in the romance of Scandinavian mythology.
3.—Page 370, stanza xxxvii.Enormous couch'd fang'd Iguanodon.Dr. Mantell, in his "Wonders of Geology," computes the length of the Iguanodon (formerly an inhabitant of the Wealds of Sussex) at one hundred feet.
3.—Page 370, stanza xxxvii.
Enormous couch'd fang'd Iguanodon.
Enormous couch'd fang'd Iguanodon.
Dr. Mantell, in his "Wonders of Geology," computes the length of the Iguanodon (formerly an inhabitant of the Wealds of Sussex) at one hundred feet.
4.—Page 371, stanza xxxix.Herds, that through all the thunders of the surge.The Deinotherium—supposed to have been a colossal species of hippopotamus.
4.—Page 371, stanza xxxix.
Herds, that through all the thunders of the surge.
Herds, that through all the thunders of the surge.
The Deinotherium—supposed to have been a colossal species of hippopotamus.
5.—Page 371, stanza xli.The Troll's swart people, in their inmost home.In Scandinavian mythology, the evil spirits are generally called Trolls (or Trolds). The name is here applied to the malignant race of Dwarfs, whose homes were in the earth, and who could not endure the sun.
5.—Page 371, stanza xli.
The Troll's swart people, in their inmost home.
The Troll's swart people, in their inmost home.
In Scandinavian mythology, the evil spirits are generally called Trolls (or Trolds). The name is here applied to the malignant race of Dwarfs, whose homes were in the earth, and who could not endure the sun.
6.—Page 373, stanza liii.Dreamless of thrones—and the fierce Visigoth.Visigoth,poeticèfor the Spanish ravagers of Mexico and Peru.
6.—Page 373, stanza liii.
Dreamless of thrones—and the fierce Visigoth.
Dreamless of thrones—and the fierce Visigoth.
Visigoth,poeticèfor the Spanish ravagers of Mexico and Peru.
7.—Page 373, stanza liv.Calm brows that brood the doom of breathless kings!Napoleon.
7.—Page 373, stanza liv.
Calm brows that brood the doom of breathless kings!
Calm brows that brood the doom of breathless kings!
Napoleon.
8.—Page 377, stanza lxxxvi.That calm grand brow the son of Ægir eyed.Ægir, the God of the Ocean, the Scandinavian Neptune.
8.—Page 377, stanza lxxxvi.
That calm grand brow the son of Ægir eyed.
That calm grand brow the son of Ægir eyed.
Ægir, the God of the Ocean, the Scandinavian Neptune.
9.—Page 380, stanza ciii.And bloodstain'd altars cursed the mountain sod.The testimony to be found in classical writers as to the original purity of the Druid worship, before it was corrupted into the idolatry which existed in Britain at the time of the Roman conquest, is strongly corroborated by the Welsh triads. These triads, indeed, are of various dates, but some bear the mark of a very remote antiquity—wholly distinct alike from the philosophy of the Romans and the mode of thought prevalent in the earlier ages of the Christian era; in short, anterior to all the recorded conquests over the Cymrian people. These, like proverbs, appear the wrecks and fragments of some primæval ethics, or philosophical religion. Nor are such remarkable alone for the purity of the notions they inculcate relative to the Deity; they have often, upon matters less spiritual, the delicate observation, as well as the profound thought, of reflective wisdom. It is easy to see in them how identified was the Bard with the Sage—that rare union which produces the highest kind of human knowledge. Such, perhaps, are the relics of that sublimer learning which, ages before the sacrifice of victims in wicker idols, won for the Druids the admiration of the cautious Aristotle, as ranking among the true enlighteners of men—such the teachers who (we may suppose to have) instructed the mystical Pythagoras; and furnished new themes for meditation to the musing Brahman. Nor were the Druids of Britain inferior to those with whom the Sages of the western and eastern world came more in contact. On the contrary, even to the time of Cæsar, the Druids of Britain excelled in science and repute those in Gaul; and to their schools the Neophytes of the Continent were sent.In the Stanzas that follow the description of the more primitive Cymrians, it is assumed that the rude Druid remainsnowexistent (as at Stonehenge, &c.), are coeval only with the later and corrupted state of a people degenerated to idol-worship, and that the Cymrians previously possessed an architecture, of which no trace now remains, more suited to their early civilization. If it be true that they worshipped the Deity only in his own works, and that it was not until what had been a symbol passed into an idol, that they deserted the mountain-top and the forest for the temple, they would certainly have wanted the main inducement to permanent and lofty architecture. Still it may be allowed, at least to a poet, to suppose that men so sensible as the primitive Saronides, would have held their schools and colleges in places more adapted to a northern climate than their favourite oak groves.
9.—Page 380, stanza ciii.
And bloodstain'd altars cursed the mountain sod.
And bloodstain'd altars cursed the mountain sod.
The testimony to be found in classical writers as to the original purity of the Druid worship, before it was corrupted into the idolatry which existed in Britain at the time of the Roman conquest, is strongly corroborated by the Welsh triads. These triads, indeed, are of various dates, but some bear the mark of a very remote antiquity—wholly distinct alike from the philosophy of the Romans and the mode of thought prevalent in the earlier ages of the Christian era; in short, anterior to all the recorded conquests over the Cymrian people. These, like proverbs, appear the wrecks and fragments of some primæval ethics, or philosophical religion. Nor are such remarkable alone for the purity of the notions they inculcate relative to the Deity; they have often, upon matters less spiritual, the delicate observation, as well as the profound thought, of reflective wisdom. It is easy to see in them how identified was the Bard with the Sage—that rare union which produces the highest kind of human knowledge. Such, perhaps, are the relics of that sublimer learning which, ages before the sacrifice of victims in wicker idols, won for the Druids the admiration of the cautious Aristotle, as ranking among the true enlighteners of men—such the teachers who (we may suppose to have) instructed the mystical Pythagoras; and furnished new themes for meditation to the musing Brahman. Nor were the Druids of Britain inferior to those with whom the Sages of the western and eastern world came more in contact. On the contrary, even to the time of Cæsar, the Druids of Britain excelled in science and repute those in Gaul; and to their schools the Neophytes of the Continent were sent.
In the Stanzas that follow the description of the more primitive Cymrians, it is assumed that the rude Druid remainsnowexistent (as at Stonehenge, &c.), are coeval only with the later and corrupted state of a people degenerated to idol-worship, and that the Cymrians previously possessed an architecture, of which no trace now remains, more suited to their early civilization. If it be true that they worshipped the Deity only in his own works, and that it was not until what had been a symbol passed into an idol, that they deserted the mountain-top and the forest for the temple, they would certainly have wanted the main inducement to permanent and lofty architecture. Still it may be allowed, at least to a poet, to suppose that men so sensible as the primitive Saronides, would have held their schools and colleges in places more adapted to a northern climate than their favourite oak groves.
10.—Page 380, stanza civ.And wing'd the shaft of Scythian Abaris.The arrow of Abaris (which bore him where he pleased) is supposed by some to have been the loadstone. And Abaris himself has been, by some ingenious speculators, identified with a Druid philosopher.
10.—Page 380, stanza civ.
And wing'd the shaft of Scythian Abaris.
And wing'd the shaft of Scythian Abaris.
The arrow of Abaris (which bore him where he pleased) is supposed by some to have been the loadstone. And Abaris himself has been, by some ingenious speculators, identified with a Druid philosopher.
1.—Page 386, stanza xxviii.Hung on the music, nor divined the death?See Book ii. pp. 57, 58, from stanza xxvii. to stanza xxx.
1.—Page 386, stanza xxviii.
Hung on the music, nor divined the death?
Hung on the music, nor divined the death?
See Book ii. pp. 57, 58, from stanza xxvii. to stanza xxx.
2.—Page 388, stanza xxxix.Because that soul refined man's common air!Perhaps it is in this sense that Taliessin speaks in his mystical poem called "Taliessin's History," still extant:—"I have been an instructorTo the whole universe.I shall remain till the day of doomOn the face of the earth."
2.—Page 388, stanza xxxix.
Because that soul refined man's common air!
Because that soul refined man's common air!
Perhaps it is in this sense that Taliessin speaks in his mystical poem called "Taliessin's History," still extant:—
"I have been an instructorTo the whole universe.I shall remain till the day of doomOn the face of the earth."
"I have been an instructorTo the whole universe.I shall remain till the day of doomOn the face of the earth."
3.—Page 389, stanza xlviii.And smote the Heathen with the Angel's sword.The Bishops Germanus and Lupus, having baptized the Britains in the river Alyn, led them against the Picts and Saxons, to the cry of "Alleluia." The cry itself, uttered with all the enthusiasm of the Christian host, struck terror into the enemy, who at once took to flight. Most of those who escaped the sword perished in the river. This victory, achieved at Maes-Garmon, was called "Victoria Alleluiatica."—Brit. Eccles. Antiq., 335;Bed., lib. i. c. i. 20.
3.—Page 389, stanza xlviii.
And smote the Heathen with the Angel's sword.
And smote the Heathen with the Angel's sword.
The Bishops Germanus and Lupus, having baptized the Britains in the river Alyn, led them against the Picts and Saxons, to the cry of "Alleluia." The cry itself, uttered with all the enthusiasm of the Christian host, struck terror into the enemy, who at once took to flight. Most of those who escaped the sword perished in the river. This victory, achieved at Maes-Garmon, was called "Victoria Alleluiatica."—Brit. Eccles. Antiq., 335;Bed., lib. i. c. i. 20.
4.—Page 389, stanza xlix.Flash'd the glad claymores, lightening line on line."The claymore of the Highlanders of Scotland was no other than the cledd mawr (cle'mawr) of the Welch."—Cymrodorion, vol. ii. p. 106.
4.—Page 389, stanza xlix.
Flash'd the glad claymores, lightening line on line.
Flash'd the glad claymores, lightening line on line.
"The claymore of the Highlanders of Scotland was no other than the cledd mawr (cle'mawr) of the Welch."—Cymrodorion, vol. ii. p. 106.
5.—Page 390, stanza lii.No mail defends the Cymrian Child of Song.No Cymrian bard, according to the primitive law, was allowed the use of weapons.
5.—Page 390, stanza lii.
No mail defends the Cymrian Child of Song.
No mail defends the Cymrian Child of Song.
No Cymrian bard, according to the primitive law, was allowed the use of weapons.
6.—Page 390, stanza lvii.And Tudor's standard with the Saxon's head.The old arms of the Tudors were three Saxons' heads.
6.—Page 390, stanza lvii.
And Tudor's standard with the Saxon's head.
And Tudor's standard with the Saxon's head.
The old arms of the Tudors were three Saxons' heads.
7.—Page 393, stanza lxxiii."Lo, Saxons, lo, what chiefs these Walloons lead!"Walloons,—the name given by the Saxons, in contumely, to the Cymrians.
7.—Page 393, stanza lxxiii.
"Lo, Saxons, lo, what chiefs these Walloons lead!"
"Lo, Saxons, lo, what chiefs these Walloons lead!"
Walloons,—the name given by the Saxons, in contumely, to the Cymrians.
8.—Page 399, stanza cxvi.'And what is death?—a name for nothingness."The sublime idea of the nonentity of death, of the instantaneous transit of the soul from one phase and cycle of being to another, is earnestly insisted upon by the early Cymrian bards, in terms which seem borrowed from some spiritual belief anterior to that which does in truth teach that the life of man once begun, has not only no end, but no pause—and, in the triumphal cry of the Christian, "O grave, where is thy victory!"—annihilates death.
8.—Page 399, stanza cxvi.
'And what is death?—a name for nothingness."
'And what is death?—a name for nothingness."
The sublime idea of the nonentity of death, of the instantaneous transit of the soul from one phase and cycle of being to another, is earnestly insisted upon by the early Cymrian bards, in terms which seem borrowed from some spiritual belief anterior to that which does in truth teach that the life of man once begun, has not only no end, but no pause—and, in the triumphal cry of the Christian, "O grave, where is thy victory!"—annihilates death.
1.—Page 417, stanza xl."The watch-pass 'Vingólf' wins thee thro' the van.Vingolf. Literally, "The Abode of Friends;" the name for the place in which the heavenly goddesses assemble.
1.—Page 417, stanza xl.
"The watch-pass 'Vingólf' wins thee thro' the van.
"The watch-pass 'Vingólf' wins thee thro' the van.
Vingolf. Literally, "The Abode of Friends;" the name for the place in which the heavenly goddesses assemble.
2.—Page 419, stanza liv.What rites appease thee, Father of the Slain?Father of the Slain, Valfader.—Odin.
2.—Page 419, stanza liv.
What rites appease thee, Father of the Slain?
What rites appease thee, Father of the Slain?
Father of the Slain, Valfader.—Odin.
3.—Page 420, stanza lxiv.Her sisters tremble at the Urdar spring."Her sisters tremble," &c.,—that is, the other two Fates (the Present and the Past) tremble at the Well of Life.
3.—Page 420, stanza lxiv.
Her sisters tremble at the Urdar spring.
Her sisters tremble at the Urdar spring.
"Her sisters tremble," &c.,—that is, the other two Fates (the Present and the Past) tremble at the Well of Life.
4.—Page 424, stanza lxxxix.To all the valiant Gladsheim's Halls unclose.Gladsheim, Heaven: Walhalla ("the Hall of the Chosen") did not exclude brave foes who fell in battle.
4.—Page 424, stanza lxxxix.
To all the valiant Gladsheim's Halls unclose.
To all the valiant Gladsheim's Halls unclose.
Gladsheim, Heaven: Walhalla ("the Hall of the Chosen") did not exclude brave foes who fell in battle.
5.—Page 425, stanza xcvi.The Læca shines beside the bautasten.TheScin Læca, or shining corpse, that was seen before the bautasten, or burial-stone of a dead hero, was supposed to possess prophetic powers, and to guard the treasures of the grave.
5.—Page 425, stanza xcvi.
The Læca shines beside the bautasten.
The Læca shines beside the bautasten.
TheScin Læca, or shining corpse, that was seen before the bautasten, or burial-stone of a dead hero, was supposed to possess prophetic powers, and to guard the treasures of the grave.
6.—Page 429, stanza cxxiii.Thy post with Odin—mine with Managarm!Managarm, the Monster Wolf (symbolically,war). "He will be filled with the blood of men who draw near their end," &c. (Prose Edda).
6.—Page 429, stanza cxxiii.
Thy post with Odin—mine with Managarm!
Thy post with Odin—mine with Managarm!
Managarm, the Monster Wolf (symbolically,war). "He will be filled with the blood of men who draw near their end," &c. (Prose Edda).
7.—Page 430, stanza cxxxii.And the last Fire-God and the Flaming Sword!"And the last Fire-God and the Flaming Sword,"i.e., Surtur the genius, who dwells in the region of fire (Muspelheim), whose flaming sword shall vanquish the gods themselves in the last day. (Prose Edda).
7.—Page 430, stanza cxxxii.
And the last Fire-God and the Flaming Sword!
And the last Fire-God and the Flaming Sword!
"And the last Fire-God and the Flaming Sword,"i.e., Surtur the genius, who dwells in the region of fire (Muspelheim), whose flaming sword shall vanquish the gods themselves in the last day. (Prose Edda).
8.—Page 431, stanza cxxxv.And ghastly legends teem with tales ofFaul!Faul is indeed the name of one of the malignant Powers peculiarly dreaded by the Saxons.
8.—Page 431, stanza cxxxv.
And ghastly legends teem with tales ofFaul!
And ghastly legends teem with tales ofFaul!
Faul is indeed the name of one of the malignant Powers peculiarly dreaded by the Saxons.
9.—Page 431, stanza cxxxvi.From the paled ranks, that evil Bode dismay'd."Bode," Saxon word for Messenger.
9.—Page 431, stanza cxxxvi.
From the paled ranks, that evil Bode dismay'd.
From the paled ranks, that evil Bode dismay'd.
"Bode," Saxon word for Messenger.
10.—Page 433, stanza clv.The wings of Muspell to consume the world.Muspell, Fire; the final destroyer.
10.—Page 433, stanza clv.
The wings of Muspell to consume the world.
The wings of Muspell to consume the world.
Muspell, Fire; the final destroyer.
11.—Page 439, stanza cxcii.All save the Cymrian's Ararat—Wild Wales!"Their Lord they shall praise,And their language they shall preserve;Their land they shall lose,Except Wild Wales!"Prophecy of Taliessin.
11.—Page 439, stanza cxcii.
All save the Cymrian's Ararat—Wild Wales!
All save the Cymrian's Ararat—Wild Wales!
"Their Lord they shall praise,And their language they shall preserve;Their land they shall lose,Except Wild Wales!"
"Their Lord they shall praise,And their language they shall preserve;Their land they shall lose,Except Wild Wales!"
Prophecy of Taliessin.
12.—Page 439, stanza cxciv.Thy dauntless blood through Gwynedd's chiefs shall roll.This prediction refers to the marriage of the daughter of Griffith ap Llewellyn (Prince of Gwynedd, or North Wales, whose name and fate are not unfamiliar to those who have read the romance of "Harold, the last of the Saxon Kings") with Fleance. From that marriage descended the Stuarts, and indeed the reigning family of Great Britain.
12.—Page 439, stanza cxciv.
Thy dauntless blood through Gwynedd's chiefs shall roll.
Thy dauntless blood through Gwynedd's chiefs shall roll.
This prediction refers to the marriage of the daughter of Griffith ap Llewellyn (Prince of Gwynedd, or North Wales, whose name and fate are not unfamiliar to those who have read the romance of "Harold, the last of the Saxon Kings") with Fleance. From that marriage descended the Stuarts, and indeed the reigning family of Great Britain.
13.—Page 440, stanza cxcix.From Cymri's Dragon England's power shall date,And peace be born to Cymri from the Dove.According to Welch genealogists, Arthur left no son: and I must therefore invite the believer in Merlin's prophecy to suppose that it was by a daughter that Arthur's line was continued, and the royalty of Britain restored to the Cymrian kings, through the House of Tudor; from the accession of which House may indeed be dated both the final and cordial amalgamation of the Welch with the English, and the rise of that power over the destinies of the civilized world, which England has since established. The reader will pardon me, by the way, if I have somewhat perplexed him, now and then, by a similarity between the names of "Genevieve" and "Genevra." Both are used by the writers of the French Fabliaux as synonymous with Guenever; and the more shrewd will perhaps perceive that the reason why the name of Lancelot's mistress has been made almost identical with that of Arthur's, is to vindicate the fidelity of the Cymrian Queen Guenever from that scandal which the levity of French romance has most improperly cast upon it, in connection with Lancelot. It is to be presumed that those ancient slanderers were misled by the confusion of names, and that it was his own Genevra, and not Arthur's Genevieve, who received Lancelot's homage.—But indeed my Lancelot is altogether a different personage from the Lancelot represented in the Fabliaux as Arthur's nephew.
13.—Page 440, stanza cxcix.
From Cymri's Dragon England's power shall date,And peace be born to Cymri from the Dove.
From Cymri's Dragon England's power shall date,And peace be born to Cymri from the Dove.
According to Welch genealogists, Arthur left no son: and I must therefore invite the believer in Merlin's prophecy to suppose that it was by a daughter that Arthur's line was continued, and the royalty of Britain restored to the Cymrian kings, through the House of Tudor; from the accession of which House may indeed be dated both the final and cordial amalgamation of the Welch with the English, and the rise of that power over the destinies of the civilized world, which England has since established. The reader will pardon me, by the way, if I have somewhat perplexed him, now and then, by a similarity between the names of "Genevieve" and "Genevra." Both are used by the writers of the French Fabliaux as synonymous with Guenever; and the more shrewd will perhaps perceive that the reason why the name of Lancelot's mistress has been made almost identical with that of Arthur's, is to vindicate the fidelity of the Cymrian Queen Guenever from that scandal which the levity of French romance has most improperly cast upon it, in connection with Lancelot. It is to be presumed that those ancient slanderers were misled by the confusion of names, and that it was his own Genevra, and not Arthur's Genevieve, who received Lancelot's homage.—But indeed my Lancelot is altogether a different personage from the Lancelot represented in the Fabliaux as Arthur's nephew.