there is an absence of peculiarity, as well as a presence of rhythm, which is especially refreshing: "I laid the flower across his mouth; The sparkling drops seemed good for drouth; "The light smote on it from the west: Death him soon will bless."-P. 62. "Sir Peter Harpdon's End" is a dramatic fragment of some length, which, though lacking character and point, and deficient in clearness of expression, contains some thoughts of considerable originality. As a whole it reminds us considerably of Mr. Robert Browning's writings; and though not crowded with obscure classicalisms, like certain of that author's effusions, it amply atones for the absence of such, by an almost overcrowding of mediæval notions at one time upon the stage. Again, there is in many passages a mixture of common-place and something better, which makes us deeply regret the presence of the former property, and wonder why greater care has not been taken in the polishing-up and final touchings. This has been the case very evidently in a powerful description of the Lady Alice's feelings at pp. 98, 99, for which consequently we regret we have not space. It is thoroughly Pre-Raphaelite in character, and one of the best and most perfect pieces of word-painting in the volume. Rapunzel," is a wild and romantic production, characterised by much indistinctness. There are two or three passages, how ever, that deserve to be reprinted, which are given below. The first is the description-by no means unvivid-of a fight; and the second is a pretty and somewhat extravagantly fanciful song by a "Prince :" "Once came two knights and fought with swords below, Drew my eyes down; I saw against the wall "One knight lean dead, bleeding from head and breast, Lay moaning, and the old familiar name He mutter'd through the grass, seem'd like a scoff The visor-bars were twisted towards the face, Wrought wonderfully, was shifted from its place. Lay there for days after the other went ; "To carry dead or living to the king.' So the knights came and bore him straight away On their lance truncheons, such a batter'd thing, His mother had not known him on that day."-P. 127. "GUENDOLEN. ""Twixt the sunlight and the shade "Gold or gems she did not wear, ""Twixt the sunlight and the shade, "Hands used to grip the sword-hilt hard, "Guendolen now speaks no word, "Only 'twixt the light and shade Make me pray for Guendolen."—P. 131. The following extract from "A Good Knight in Prison," is of the same character and quality, and has the merit of being somewhat shorter : "For these vile things that hem me in, "Just so this Pagan castle old, Like one who paints with knitted brow, The flowers and all things one by one, From the snail on the wall to the setting sun. "Four great walls and a little one That leads down to the barbican, Which walls with many spears they man, When news comes to the castellan Of Launcelot being in the land. "And as I sit here, close at hand Four spikes of sad sick sunflowers stand, It cannot be, but if some dream Could I get this by longing: vain!”—P. 151. possess As we have never been able to discover why the large majority of women represented by the Pre-Raphaelite Brothers have red hair, neither can we see why "my lady" alluded to above should that especial adornment. It is perfectly true, in fact, that some people have red hair, but it is equally false that all are gifted in that particular. Of course there are a large number of ordinarylooking people, such as we see often painted by those who pride themselves on representing Nature as she is; but there is on the other hand a no small class of another character who would, we venture to say, be equally paintable, and would not make a picture appear common-place or quaint. Again, we doubt the wisdom of applying the terms "pale, ivory colour'd" to a face. They remind us very unpleasantly of disease and lack of health. Now although the "Good Knight" may have suffered from confinement, we are not informed that this was his lady's misfortune. "The Gilliflower of Gold" is in many respects worthy of a careful study. It is a most clever imitation, or rather reproduction of the middle age ballad. So artistically is it managed that we might almost imagine that no modern pen had linked the words together. "Shameful Death," which immediately follows, is a trifle less unintelligible, though by no means deficient in obscurity : "There were four of us about that bed; "He did not die in the night, He did not die in the day, But in the morning twilight His spirit pass'd away; When neither sun nor moon was bright, "He was not slain with the sword, Knight's axe, or the knightly spear, After he came in here; From the neck of my brother dear. "He did not strike one blow, For the recreants came behind, "They lighted a great torch then, "I am threescore and ten, my But I met Sir John of the Fen, And am glad to think of the moment whe "I am threescore and ten, And my strength is mostly pass'd, But long ago I and my men, When the sky was overcast, And the smoke roll'd over the reeds of the Slew Guy of the Dolorous Blast. "And now, Knights all of you, I pray you pray for Sir Hugh, A good Knight and a true, And for Alice his wife, pray too."-P. 165. The "Eve of Crecy," which immediately follows this a poem of considerable beauty, and as our readers must its author a full opportunity of displaying all those ресу which he so unquestionably possesses, and knows so use with advantage : "Gold on her head, and gold on her feet, "Margaret's maids are fair to see, Ah! qu'elle est belle La Marguerite. |