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loves Shakespeare, and hangs delighted o...
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I07E HER STILL, Love her still! She hath...
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The Girlhood of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...
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Ancient Egypt under the Pharaohs. By Joh...
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The History of Winchelsea, one of the An...
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Zenobia ,• or the] Fall of Palmyra. Parl...
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An Appeal to the Members of the Slokesle...
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If a man could have half his wishes he w...
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' 1 t ¦¦ii-g-ttiw PMWr^H Viimim. Hard DB...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Loves Shakespeare, And Hangs Delighted O...
¦ in ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦ •»»» _Decembeb 14 , 1850 . THE NORTHERN STAR . . I itnD T ¦ ¦ '" -. ¦¦ -. . _MMMJ
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I07e Her Still, Love Her Still! She Hath...
I 07 E HER STILL , Love her still ! She hath fallen very low—Thou who knew ' _st her long ago , Little , little canst thou see Of her girlhood ' s purity ; But , though sin hath left its trace On her once sweet happy face , And that innocent maiden brow Droopeth in dark shadow now—Though life ' s glory all hath fled , And life ' s shame in her's instead .
Lore her still ! Love her ! let no harsh cold word , Man , from lips of thine be heard "Woman , with no lifted eye Mock thou her deep agony ; " Weep ye , —tears , give tears alone To our world-forsaken one—Love her still ! Love her—let her feel your love ; Summer showers that fall above
Fainting blossoms , leave with them Freshened leaf and straightened stem Sunshine oft doth give again Bloom the bitter storm hath ta ' en ; And this human love of ours , To tbe world ' s poor faded flowers , May be found as dear a boon As God ' s blessed rain and sun To restore their native hue , And their native fragrance too ;—Love her still !
Gather round her , weep and pray—Clasp her , lead her from the way She doth journey—tenderly From the wrong and misery , To the better paths , where peace "Waiteth her , with sweet release From life ' theart-ache;—so , once more In her breast the hope of yore May be lit , that holy hope , Tbat with earthly loss doth cope , Earthly sin and earthly shame _.
Till all earth is but a name _. And the rescued soul is given , "With itstreasnre , unto heaven ! Ob , bethink ye of the bliss That will fill your hearts for this , Loving friends , what time ye see Shadow after shadow flee From her pa ! e sad face ;—what time , Soaring in a thought sublime , Te shall inow , the while ye pray , To his angels God doth tav _, " " Love her still " !" T . " _VYestwood
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The Girlhood Of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...
The Girlhood of Shaispeare ' s Heroines . Tale 1 . Portia , the Heiress of Belmont . By MABY _Co-wde _^ Clarke . Novello , Deanstreet , Soho . "Who that knows anything of Shakspeare does not know that there is in him a rich mine of intellectual wealth—but half worked out and promising inexhaustible mental riches to those who explore it . Minute as he sometimes is , when it suits his purposes , uirweariedly as he piles trait npon trait to complete a character , yet he is so rich in the materials of thought , as well as in thought itself , that his
slightest hints may often well serve for the basis of a new creation . The gems of mind are so plentiful with him that he throws them about with a wild , reckless profusion , and once dropped , others came so readily to his hand that he can afford to let the rich droppings remain untouched for those who choose to stoop to pick them np . Like a spendthrift , but a spendthrift with an inexhaustible treasure at his disposal , he is careless and wanton in his prodigality . Sometimes , too , he seems as though he indulged in
• whims and fancies as quaint and curious as the conceits of his own " Midsummer _^ Night ' s Dream ; " for , while occasionally he is like the lapidary , who thinks only the magniScient stones worthy of his trouble , and throws aside the tiny brilliants , to be cut and polished by humbler hands , at other times ho disregards the magnates of the mines , and bestows all his cares upon some poor chrystal , till , by the glow and fashion he imparts to it , and the quaint richness of its petting , it becomes more attractive and valual If than the
richest and most _giganticjewel . It mast , to some extent , be a characteristic of all dramatists , but , more especially , of one of such overflowing power & n I fertility « 3 Shakespeare—that they must _^ aT _J behind them much of unfinished material . _^ They are necessarily limited , by the reqiirfinents of stage-action , to a few incidents and a comparatively short space of time . If they wish years to elapse between the commencement and the completion of a plot , they must suffer a long interregnum to take place , the results of which are indicated rather than detailed
in a few v ? ords of dialogue . They are compelled to leave much to the imagination of the spectators . The privileges which the novelist or the romancist has , of carefully elaborating a story , they are debarred from—they are compelled to pile incident npon incident , effect npon effect , and to keep np a continuous chain of action . Developed thought , shown forth in all the stages of its _developement , is a machinery they are unable to use ihey must often be fragmentary , and now and then obscure , for want of opportunity for clearness and precision . Thelowest attention to
dramatic unities leaves but scant mental elbow room for the free display of power . Hints upon which chapters might be written , suggestions shadowing forth whole romances , inuendoes containing the _rndiments of a series of Btratagems , are used , thrown down , and left behind almost before we have time to ascertain their latent value . The story must go on Tears haveto be condensed intotwoshort hours of mimic reality , and there is no time for moralising on speculation . Indeed meralisin c and speculation would too often npon the stage be sadly out of place . The desire actionexcitement
of the spectator for effect , , , is irrepressible , and passages which we shonld bend over with delight in the closet would fall comparatively dull and prosy in the theatre . Hence " it is that the most beautifully developed and thoughtful dramas are too often—too generally indeed—unfit for acting . A real stirring drama often calls up to our mind a crowded picture gallery , through which we are hurried with just time to note the character of each varying face , and to receive an impression , but without time for analysis , or _comprehension in detail . Here «*> stand before a stern "warrior , whose strong and whose
lines speak of courage and firmness , reddening scars tell of many a _"fou ? hten Held - How did that man hve ? How did he die ? What breeding did he have ? What _snemies did he overthrow ? _Vhat : friend did he suprort ? The questions me but pass away unanswered , for the Cicerone bids us to pa 8 S on . Here again is another face with . 1 history worth perusing . High thought sits upon the brow , deep benevolence beams trom the eyes , calm meditation hovers on the halt-Opened lips . Surely that was a philosopher and a philanthropist , as good as he was wise , but we know him better . But " move _onward" resounds again , and we press forward .
Once more another figure arrests us . What a tale of war it speaks—what misery peers from under its cavernous _brows-what deep hollows suffering has dug in the wasted cheeks and thin temp les-like . pita where happiness lies buried-wbat rigid despair there , _» those closely com pressed hps-what foregone history belongs to that picture of pan . ? We have but time to ask before we are a ain aave _" » " to the end of the _^^ O _^ _lSiS _^ fast enough , ith _Stf us , bringing * termination to _^ ur rtd tales but with the dramatist he flies , it is £ _\ be novelist alone to work out _fbeddMsof _i ? f _«_ in „ W event hanging upon event , till
the ereat chain of life is complete . wTcan almost imagine that some such thoug hts as these occurred to Mrs . Clarke _beg re the resolved to g ive to the worldthe girlhood of Shakespeare ' s heromes . Who that
The Girlhood Of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...
loves Shakespeare , and hangs delighted over his splendid creations , does not wish to know more of them , to understand wh y they are what they are , how they became so , and to understand the phases through which they passed ; the course of life in which they were trained before they shone out upon the pages of these gorgeous dramas ; to know "what manner of children they were , who afterwards grew up into such entrancing maturity . loves Shakespeare , and _hsLno-a rini ' _niitmi n < , n .
The dramatist could not tell ni this , he had no arena in which to do it : but it befits one who knows his spirit well , and , above all , who loves him , to depict that which , perforce , was left untouched ; aud who , in Shakespeare ' s case , so fitted for the task as Mrs . Clarke , whose intellect and devotion are so well proved by these Shakesperian works , which will carry down her name to posterity , linked with that of the greatest of the poet teachers of humanity ?
So we have here , in a modest unpretending little pamphlet , the first of the series of Shakespeare ' s heroines in their girlhood in Portia , the heiress of Belmont . We all know the Merchant of Venice , and it needs not here to tell of that Portia , who , when her lover ' s friend was in danger of a cruel death , seems to set aside the shrinking delicacy of the woman ' s character , by assuming the character and the dress of an advocate , but who , iu that trial scene , makes her woman ' s nature radiant as an angel ' s , by mingliug into one Justice , with its stern behests ; Mercy , with its tender gentleness , and Charity with its loving forbearance . How was that woman trained ? What vera the circumstances
which made her what she was ? These are the questions which Mrs . Clarke has set herself to answer , and well is the reply given , and in a truly Shakesperian spirit . The obvious requisites for drawing the youthful character of Portia , for briuging forth what is a new and a beautiful creation , are that each event of her foregone life , each link in the chain of her destiny , should be accessory to the known developement , should bend towards the formation of the character revealed by the great dramatist , and strictly is
this essential complied with . The mother of Portia is pictured as the sister of the learned advocate Bellario , then a poor student , cheering him on his studies , and making his poor home beautiful by her sympathy , her devotion , and her wisdom . Her father , the Count Guido , becomes enraptured with the beauty of bod y and mind of the poor student ' s sister , and disregarding the conventional attributes of rank , makes her his wife . The birth of the younger Portia is the death throe of her mother ; so life and death walk hand-in-hand amid the
mysterious decrees of fate . The Count Gmdo , in tho madness of despair , leaves his home and daughter to become a pilgrim in strange lands ; and Bellario , now a doctor of eminence , becomes her guardian . Dame Ursula , the strict old duenna , as rigid in her freezing propriety as a marble statue , has her share in moulding the character of the youthful Portia ; but the dame ' s asperity is tamed down by the love of the old bachelor uncle , who finds his youth renewed by the feelings which warm his heart to the tiny image of his dead sister . It is beautiful to read how he lures the
child on to love him—how he watches every budding of her infant mind—how he delights in every developement of the immature beauty of her form—how he tempts , not drives , her on to love learning—and thus fits her to become , as Mrs . Clarke says , " the fairest lawyer on record . " And then there comes the natural thoughtful fear of the good Bellario , that the young Portia may grow too dull ami serious in such company as his ; and to still this apprehension there comes Nerissa , the future pert but affectionate maid , an orphan niece of Dame Ursula ' s , whose ready merry
laughter dispels all thoughts of gravity too profund and melanchol y too deep , in the y oung heiress . In good times , when Portia ha > grown to be woman , her truant father , too , comes back , and finds in the recovered daughter a solace for the lost wife ; and lovers appear on the stage , and among them , but apparently , as yet , undistingnished , the youthful Bassanio— -the scholar and true gentleman—her future husband _. And then the Count , prompted by a fanc y that chance combined with judgment are the true rulers of life , caused to be made the three caskets of gold ,
silver , and lead with their mystic inscriptions , and to connect with them Portia ' s future fate . Shortly after this , death seizes the Count , and Portia is again left to the guardianship of her uncle ; and when the time of mourning expires is again surrounded by suitors ; and on a certain day there came to Belmont , attracted by the beautiful and rich heiress , " a Neapolitan Prince , a County Palatine , a French Lord , an English Baron , a Scotch Eari , and a German Duke ' s nephew ; " and Portia , sitting in her fovourite room , says poutingiy to Nerissa , '• By my troth , Nerissa , my little body is a weary of this great world . "
What Nerissa answered , we all know —or ought to know—her words are to to be found in the second scene of a certain play ; ¦ where * my master desires to speak with you . ' . . We hope we have said sufficient to indicate our high appreciation of the beauty of Mrs . Clarke ' s idea , as well of the truthfulness of its executioH , and to tempt oar readers to make themselves as well acquainted with the girlhood of Shakespeare ' s heroines as we trust they are with the heroines themselves .
We have but little space left for extract , but we take the following as a bait , that the mothers o £ England may learn from Mrs . Clarke how much hi g her is the education of love than that of fear . One morning , after breakfast , there happened to be fewer law papers than usual to examine , and rjellario told bis little Portia that if she would be quiet for an hour , he would then be ready to take her out for a long , long ride ; and he asked Madame Ursula to be so good as to let them have a little basket with something nice to eat while they were out . in case tbey were away some hours . The dame made a curtsey of acquiescence ; then turning to the child , she added : — " Sow , Contessina . come with me . "
The little girl arose , and followed her half way towards the door , then stopped . _ Madame Ursula looked back , and seeing the fixed attitude in which the child stood , in the middle of the room , frowned heavily , saying : — " Did youhcar me ? Come ! " . ., , .. Bellario quietly watched this scene though his head was bent over bis papers ; and he observed an obstinate inflexibility take possession of tbe little girl ' s face and figure , as she replied : — " _J _^ ot unless you promise that I shall come back in time for the r "I shall promise nothing . Come this instant !" caid Madame Ursula ; then glancing at Bellarm , and scin _£ , as she thought , that he was absorbed in ' hi * occupation , she added , in a stern low tone : —
" Bcmember ! Portia's face flashed scarlet , und she moved forwards a step or two ; but presently she stopped _a-rain , and said - : " _No , if you beat me , Idon t care . I " won't go till you promise . " . Bellario was just going to exclaim :- " Beat ! hit he checked himself , resolved tp satisfy himself furt her , while they still thought themselves uuob-8 « _- * Promise a chit like you , indeed ! A fine pass _fWnisfaave come to , truly ! " exclaimed Madame u « S . "i ir 3 ist upod your coinins to _y ° ' tasks ' Wl BuS noU cbit-I ' m hcire ? s of Belmont-Muixui _""" , j e __ J needn t learn Lisettatold me so and Jie sa e > _^ my letters if I didn _^ . mio and T won » sides , I want to ride witn _«« _£ " _" . „ \ . ¦ say my letters till you promise I shall . h . « .. « rt » . o in tinto back for ride . _3 > asta leMetis . i tbe
e come my h _^ e _TheT" Ana the child uttered last words with flashing eyes , and an insolent lip . . Madamo Ursula stalked back , and seized the little rebel whom her own injudicious unre en . ng ¦ _iwfl created . As she clutched Portia ' s wrist , thc cmia uttered a piercing scream ; but the next instant sne seemed to remember her promise not to disturo Bellario , for she looked towards him hastily , and then , _cheokinjj herself , writhed and strugg led mutely in tbe housekeeper's grasp . Bellario now thought it time to interfere . " Madame Ursula , " said be , " why do you wish the Con-
The Girlhood Of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...
tessma Portia to go with you ? May she not stay here , as usual ?" "I need hardly tell il Signor Dottore , " replied the dame , " that it would be disgraceful for a young lady of the _Contessina ' s distinguished station to be brought up in ignorance . I have therefore thought it my duty to teach her letters , that she may one day know how to read . I presume so illustrious and learned a gentleman as yourself knows the importance of early tuition ?" "Bntdid I not hear something about 'beating , Madame ? Surely that is not part of your system ?" said Bellario . " Oh , a birch-rod , merely hungup in my room by way of a threat , signor . We all know that a threat is sometimes as effectual as a punishment , " replied she ; " and the Contessina ' s pride makes her dread the shame of a whipping , as much as the rod itself . " « _nn _x _>„« n _„ _a _~ -a . o ,, ~
"Do you know , lam not a great advocate for either shame , or the rod , Madame , in teaching . " Bellario saw the scarlet mount to the child ' s brow again , at the mention of the birch-rod ; but he saw also a look of triumph , as if she understood that Madame was being rebuked instead of herself . He was vexed at being thus compelled to discuss the matter in her presence at all , but as it was hardly to be avoided after what had passed , ho added : — " If you please , we will , for the present , allow this little lady to go on in her ignorance . She will one day find what a pleasure it is to read , and will wish to learn , and be grateful to those who will take the trouble to teach her . Allow mo to thank you for that which you have already taken , Madame Ursula ; although I request you will indulge me by letting the lessons cease , until Portia is wise enough to wish for them hersnlf "
Ancient Egypt Under The Pharaohs. By Joh...
Ancient Egypt under the Pharaohs . By John Kenrick , M . A . Two Vols . London : Fellowes , Ludgate-hill . It is a peculiarity of the Egyptian and Tuscan people , tbat while we know little of their public history , we know a great deal ot their private life , and of their manners and customs both private and public . It is questionable , indeed , whether a fuller idea has been gained of the habits of the Greeks and Romans , with all the
literary pictures and works of art they have left us , than has been obtained by a half century ' s examination of the paintings and tombs of the Egyptians . It is , therefore , with judgment that Mr . Kenrick devotes the earlier and larger portion of his work to a general description of the arts , manners , and amusements of Egypt under the Pharaohs—in short , of all those things which go to make up the life and business of a people .
He opens his book with a description of the river and valley of the Nile , and of its monuments ; inferring from the remains and the nature of the case , that civilisation ascended from Lower E gypt , and did not descend from Ethiopia . He next considers the characteristics and language of the people ; and describes the two great wonders of the world , the Pyramids and Thebes . Having finished the natural features of the country , its existing remains , and the ethnography of the people , Mr . Kenrick proceeds to what may bo termed in a large sense the social condition of the ancient Egyptians . The amount of the population , its
industrial arts in agriculture , horticulture , hunting , fishing , navigation , commerce , and mechanical trades , are investigated , as well as the military equipments and modes of warfare , domestic life and manners , dress and amusements . Fine arts , letters , and practical science , ( for Mr . Kenrick denies the Egyptian science in the proper sense of the term ) , are next considered under the heads of architecture , sculpture , painting , music , the various modes of writing , with geometry , astronomy , _astrology , arithmetic , medicine , and mechanics . The religion of the Egyptians is then elaborately examined ; and the survey closes with an account of their constitution and laws .
The whole of these topics are , to a great extent , independent of each other , and form , in fact , a series of essays or papers , in which the author brings together the pith of extensive reading and inquiry , classical and modern . As furnishing a complete coup d _' _asil of the subject of ancient Egypt and its people , the work supplies a want ; and , combining critical acumen with historical elevation , it supplies it well . At the same time , it involves more of compilation from well-known , and in some sense almost popular books , than of the original _repearch among volumes rarely referred to , which historians are usuall y called upon to make .
The history proper of Egypt—the chronology of kings and an account of their public acts—is prefaced by a review of the ancient classical authorities , both Greek and Egyptian ; in which the author gives a critical estimate of their value , and compares them with the results of the information furnished by the monuments ; Mr . Kenrick assigning a high place to the fragments of Mauetho , even as they have come to us , at second or third hand . He then proceeds to use tho whole of these authorities , in conjunction with the results of modern interpretation , to present a consecutive view of Egyptian history , from its doubtiul
and uncertain glimmerings under the first dynasty , till the Persian invasion b y Cambyses during the twenty-sixth , and then , with fuller lights , till the final conquest of Egypt b y Alexander , after the Persian had a second time been victorious , over the thirtieth and last dynasty . In this , as in the former part of his work , the author displays a wide nnd sound acquaintance with his subject , a critical judgment , and the power of exciting interest by vivifying the past in general description . The reader , however , who looks to have a distinct idea of the great masses of Egyptian history presented to him , will probably be disappointed .
The first thing in Egyptian story is the evidence on which the monumental inscriptions rest . This , as is well known , originated in the discovery , by a French engineer in Buonaparte ' s expedition , of a tablet with an inscription in three different characters . One of these being Greek , it was soon ascertained that the purpose of its erection was to acknowledge , on the part of the high priests , prophets , and other sacred functionaries assembled at Memphis , in the year 196 B . C ., at the coronation of Ptolemy _Epiphanes , the services rendered to the sacerdotal order and to Egypt generally by the young king , and to
decree him certain honours . The Greek contains a command that the decree should be inscribed " in the sacred letters , and letters of the country , and Greek letters ; " and it was obvious from the inspection of the characters that the first are what we c _;; ll hieroglyphic , and tbe second what Herodotus and Diodorus call demotic or demodic , and Clemens cpistolographic . It was natural to conclude that each of the inscriptions was substantially , the snmo ; and as the numerals for first , second , and third were found in the same relative position at the end of the hieroglyphic and demotic as the corresponding words in the Greek , it became probable that there was even a literal agreement .
The antiquity , the magnitude , and till within these few years the mysterious purpose of the Pyramids , render them an object of unceasing interest , when the writer is at all equal to his theme . In the present case , they will furnish more conveniently than _anything else an example of Mr Kenrick ' s power of _dt _aling with the loftier topicsthat are continually turning up in treating of ancient Egypt . The Pyramids of Gizeh are about five miles distant from the bank of tbe Nile . As the traveller approaches them first across the plain and then the sandy valley to which the inundation does not extend , he is usually disappointed by their appearance , which falls short of the conception which their
fame had raised . Their height and breadth are lessened by the bills of sand and heaps of rubbish which have accumulated around them . Tho _^ simplicity and geometrical regularity of their outline is unfavourable to their apparent magnitude ; there is nothing near them by which they c . an bo measured ; r . nd it _w not till , standing at their base , he looks up to their summit , and compares their proportions with bis own or those of the human figures around them , that this first error of his judgment is corrected . And when he begins to inquire into their history , and finds that 2 , 300 years ago their first describer was even more ignorant than ourselves of the time and purpose of their erection , be feels how remote must be their origin , which even then was an insoluble problem . * *
. . \ o reasonable doubt can any longer exist respecting the _destination of these groups of pyramids . Not only is it evident that they 1 avo been places of interment , tbe only rational purposo that was ever
Ancient Egypt Under The Pharaohs. By Joh...
assigned to them , but whero any inscriptions have oeen found , they concur with tradition in showing ? i J ° have Deen the sepulchres of kings . Furt - er ' e in 3 cr * _Ptions belong to the earliest dynasties of E gypt , to tho kings whom Manetho places uetore the invasion of the Shepherds , and of whom , _ncsides the founders of Memphis , five dynasties are expressly called Memphite . Around the larger structures which received the bodies of the kings are grouped smaller pyramids , in which queens were deposited ; and tbe chief officers of state and religion were buried in excavations , near the remains of their masters . The animals whom the Egyptians mo 3 t reverenced had also a place assigned them near the highest personages of the land , as we find that at tho Labyrinth the bodies of the kings and the sacred crocodiles rested together in the subterraneous chambers .
Tho Sphinx " restored , " as an architect would say , will give an idea of the author ' s descriptive power in matters of art . The Sphinx is , next to the Pyramids , the most remarkable object which the hill of Gizeh exhibits . It is near the eastern edge of the platform on which they _Btand _. and its head is turned towards the river . It is nearly in a line with the southern side of the second pyramid , but on somewhat lower ground , and has been excavated out of one of the faces of the Libyan chain . Its elevation of forty feet above the present level of the soil serves as a measure of the extent of rock which has been cut away to build the pyramids . Neither Herodotus , nor Diodorus , nor any ancient author before the Roman age ,
mentions it ; and as it is now known from its inscription to be at least as old as tho reign of Thothmes IV ., we learn the hazard of relying on negative arguments merely in proof of the non-existence of monuments of antiquity . In its present state , with only the head and shoulders visible above the sand , which is accumulated by the western winds in the hollow space around it , the original form and dimensions of the Sphinx aannot be recognised . But a few years ago , by the exertions of Caviglia , the sand was celared away , and some important discoveries mude . Approaching from tbe Nile when all was uncovered , a sloping descent cut in the rock for 135 feet ended in a flight of thirteen steps and a level
platform , from which another flight of thirty _scens descended to the space betwixt tho Sphinx _" ' s feet . This gradual approach , during which the figure of the Sphinx was kept constantly iu the spectator ' s view , rising above him as he descended , was well adapted to heighten the impression made by its colossal size , its posture of repose , and calm majestic expression of countenance . The height from the platform between the protruded paws and the top of the head is sixty-two feet ; the paws extend fifty feet , and the body is 140 feet long , being excavated from tbe rock , excepting a portion of the back and the fore-paws , which have been cased with hewn stone . The countenance is now so much mutilated that the outline of the features can with difficulty be
traced ; but there is no reason to believe that they exhibited more of the Negro conformation than belongs to the Egyptian physiognomy generally . The head has been covered with a cap , the lower part of which remains ; and which probably terminated when entire in an erect _urreus , such as is seen in the figure of the Sphinx on the tablet which represents the offerings of Thothmes and ltameses . It had originally a beard , fragments of which were found below . The space between tbe protruded paws appears to have served as a temple , in which , at least in later times , sacrifices were performed to the mysterious deity . Immediately under the breast stood a granite tablet , and another of limestone on either side resting against the paws .
The History Of Winchelsea, One Of The An...
The History of Winchelsea , one of the Ancient Towns added to the Cinque Ports . By W . D . Cooper , F . S . A . London : Smith . Among the most interesting of our ancient towns , whether their mercantile or their political importance be considered , are the Cinque Ports . Although not originally one of the " Cinque Ports "— -for the five maritime towns on which Edward the Confessorconfi r _/ ed those especial privileges were , Sandwich , Dover , Hythe , Romney , and Hastings—Winchelsea at as early a period was distinguished as a seaport ; and about the middle of the following century , that , together with Rye , was admitted to the same high station , and dignified with the same title : —the Cinque Ports , from thenceforth being actually seven _.
Although not mentioned in _^ the S axon Chronicle , nor by name in Doomsday , Winchelsea was certainly a town in Saxou times ; King Edgar having had a mint there , and it having been granted b y the Confessor , together with the adjacent town of Rye , to the abbot and monks of Feschamp . In Doomsday , this town is mentioned as " a new burgh , " having sixtyfour burgesses . Extensive salt-works are also specified , aud " a wood , yielding pannage for two hogs . " This must have been a very small portion of forest ; but the entry is curious , as
suppl ying proof of one having existed in _tliose parts , and extended even to the brink of the sea . This is supposed to have been the forest called Dymsdale , which extended beyond Hastings ; and " near Pett , at low water , during _Bpring tides , the remains of a wood may be seen embedded in the sand , consisting of oak , beech , and fir , the former sound and nearly black ; and on the whole line of this coast , wherever ditches and d ykes have been cut in the marshes , the roots and limbs of forest trees have been met with in vast
numbers . The town of Winchelsea at tho time of the Conquest , and for centuries after , was a most convenient port for communication with France . The first Plantagencfc , on Stephen ' s death , landed here ; and his sons always bestowed on it their especial favour . Probably it was from this circumstance of _Plantagenet landing there when he came , not to contest , but to assume the crown , that Winchelsea was indebted for her admission among the Cinque Ports , and consequent participation in their rights and privileges . In the reign of John , old Winchelsea was in tho height of its prosperity . An old writer , Norden _, states that it then contained seven hundred
householdersa rather large number in those early days , when none save tliose compelled by trade resided in towns , and when households were far larger than now . During the wars of John with his barons , the Cinque Ports sided with the king . In the struggle under Simon de Montfort , the Cinque Ports , however , took part with the barons in the cause of freedom . Meanwhile , a succession of storms , attended by heavy tides , did much injury to the old town ! and even as early as 1236 , we find that the sea was encroaching on the adjacent marshes . In October , 1250 ,
however—The moon being in prime , the sea passed her accustomed boundaries , flowing twice without ebb , and made so horrible a noise that it was heard a _givat way within land , not without the astonishment of the oldest man who heard it . Besides this , at dark at night the sea seemed to be a light-fire , and to burn , inasmuch that it was past the mariner ' s skill to save the ships ; and to omit others , at a place called Huckeburn ( probably East or Hitherhourne ) , throe noble and famous ships were ewaliowed up by the violent rising of tho waves and were drowned ; and at Winchelsea a certain haven , eastward , besides cottages for salt , fishermen's huts , oridges , and mills , above 300 houses , by the violent rising of the waves , were drowned . It is probable that at this inundation _Bromhill church was lost . Matthew Paris tells us , that on the octave of the
Kplphany also , in the year 1252 , during the day and night a terrible south-west wind prevailed , that it drove the ships from their anchorage , raised the roofs of houses , many of which were thrown down , uprooted completely the largest treos , deprived churches of their spires , mado tho lead to move , and did other great damage by land , and especially at the port of Winchelsea , " which is of such use to England , and above all , to the inhabitants of London , " the waves of the sea broke its banks , swelling the neighbouring rivers , knocked down tho mills and the houses , and carried away a number of drowned men . And at the close of tho following year tho sea again broke its bounds , and left so much salt upon the land , that in the autumn of 1251 the wheat and other crops could not be gathered as usual ; and even tho forest trees and hedges could not put out their full foliage .
It does not seem , however , that the inhabitants suffered so greatly as might have been supposed . They sent forth their vessels during the subsequent year , and swept " the narrow seas , '' to the Boro dismay both of countrymen and foreigners , to whom the very name of " mariner of tho Cinque Ports'' was " a word of fear . " They wen-, indeed , ferocious pirates ; und subsequently to the battlo of Evesham , Prince Edward attacked W inchelsea , and put the chief inhabitants to tho sword . This , perhaps , added to the still encroaching inundations , completed the ruiu of the old town . Soon after Edward ' s accession , measures ,
The History Of Winchelsea, One Of The An...
were taken for the transfer of the town to a more favourable site ; nor were they premature , for , in 1287 , the sea rose so high that the greater part of Winchelsea was submerged . The site chosen for the new town was " a hill at a place in the adjoining parish of Icklesham , then called Ham . It was principally an uneven sandstone rock , fit only for , and used as , a rabbit-warren . " It is now , however , table-land , " and seems tohavebeenmadelevel by using the surface stone for tho buildings required in the new town . The whole land ultimately assigned was 150 acres . " The
description of this now town is very interesting . It was surrounded by a stone wall on all sides except that which commanded the sea ; and along this Bide an earthen rampart was carried , with spaces betweeu , and which doubtless were intended for the cross-bowmen in case of invasion . A castle guarded the northwest corner . There were within the walls two " greens" —one of twelve acres , called "tho King ' s green , " and another called "Cook ' s Green . " Water was supplied from six open wells—to one of which , St . Leonard ' s Well , was appended the popular belief , which yet
remains , that whoever drinks its waters , never leaves the town , or else , leaving , ever longs to come back . There were two markets , several windmills , and a goodly number of churches and convents . The ground on which new Winchelsea was built was divided into thirty-nine parts ; and the exact sites of the streets and places , together with the names of the first owners , are fully set out in a return made in the 20 th Edward I . ( 1292 ) . Mr . Cooper has given large extracts from this important roll , and the complete list of names of the first householders in the " new , " but now
ancient town . These last are curious to the inquirers into "the history of surnames . ' ' The English names are mostly derived from places or from trades . Nicknames , so common at the period , are not to be found in this roll—except in one instance , where two persons , probably mother and son bear the name "Piggestayle . " One lady of the name of Lucy , is specified as being also called " Douce Martin "—perhaps from her kind disposition . It is a curious feature in this roll , that in a list of above seven hundred householders between fifty and sixty should be women . If
they were all in independent circumstances , the general prosperity of that period must have been far greater than that of modern times ; but if , as seems more likely , some must have been engaged in trade , it would be a not uninteresting task to attempt to ascertain what trades they followed . That they were women of good character is evident from their being allowed to keep house within the city ; and as they appear to have been very equally distributed-throughout the various quarters , it seems to us to prove that in those early days the widows or daughters of tradesmen , where there were no sons , carried on
the business of the husband or father . In the ancient rules of some of the London companies , there are very admirable provisions to this effiict , which prove that the chivalrous feeling—we speak of it in its higher manifestation—pervaded all society , and that women were not shut up in the convent , as their only asylum , as has generally been supposed . The names of these female burgesses afford strong proof that Winchelsea was at this period inhabited by a foreign as well as a native population . " The new town soon realised the hopes of its founders , "—and new Winchelsea , even as the old , retained its superiority among the Cinque Ports : —
When Edmund , the king ' s brother , was about to sail for Gascony , the king , on the 3 rd of September , 1294 , directed the ships of the five ports to attend him . A general writ was directed to the warden of the Cinque Ports : and there was a separate writ to the bilious and bailiffs of the two most important of the ports , Winchelsea and Sandwich . An account of the Cinque Ports' ships furnished for this expedition is preserved among the MSS . in Carlton
House Ride , in a petition for payment of the wages to the seamen for going and returning , between the 7 th of March and the 3 rd of May , viz ., sixpence a day for each master , sixpence for each constable , and threepence for every seaman . No less than fifty ships were furnished ; of which Winchelsea supplied thirteen , Sandwich twelve , Dover seven , Itye seven , Itomney five , Hythe three , and Hastings t'irce .
The names of these Winchelsea vessels , with those of their masters and constables , are given , —as also some others . In most cases the names of saints appear to have been assigned to vessels , —probably by way of placing them under their especial protection ; when this is not the case , such names as the Falcon , La Blithe , and La Lightfote were given . Winchelsea during the reign of Edward the Third stood prominent in naval conflicts , both with the French and with Spanish fleets . It was off Winchelsea that the celebrated engagement with the Spaniards in August , 1350—when Edward , assisted by the Black Prince , gained so complete a victory—took place . v _«*»^ ,- "
Winchelsea subsequently suffered severely from the attacks of the French , —and towards the close of this century its importance seems to have declined . It now became a favourite port for pilgrims bound to tho shrine of St . James of Compostella . The numbers that went may be imagined from the single entry of a licence in 1456 to Simon Farncombe to carry fourscore pilgrims to St . James ' s , in the good ship La Helene , of Winchelsea . In the same year ships bound to the same destination went also from Portsmouth , Weymouth , Plymouth , aud Bristol . The day of
new Wmchelseas prosperity was , however , now rapidly passing away , —even as that of the old ; but , singularly enough , from a directly opposite cause . The ancient town was submerged ; but trom'the new town the sea gradually receded , until at length it was left " high and dry , " —tho sund in time becoming marsh land , until in 1575 Lambard declared that "there were not above sixty households standing , and these for the most part poorly
peopled , all which happened b y reason of the sea having forsaken the town . " Since this time the sea has receded nearly another mile , and it is now a mile and a quarter from Winchelsea . —At the last census the number of inhabitants was 687 , with only 127 inhabited houses . There is something melancholy iu this story of an ancient and important town sinking twice into ruin in the midst of the growing prosperity of the country to which it belongs .
Zenobia ,• Or The] Fall Of Palmyra. Parl...
Zenobia , or the ] Fall of Palmyra . Parlour Library . London : Simms and _M'Intyre . This is a standard and _highly-oateemed work . It brings vividly before tho reader a by-gone stage of civilisation . Prio , tbe imagined author of the letters , is described as a noble Roman who visited Palmyra at tho close of the third century—tohave become acquainted with Tenobia and her court when at the height of her magnificence and power—to have seen the city in all its glory—and , lastly , to have witnessed its destruction by Aivrelian in the year 273 . The work is agreeably written , and shows an intimate knowledge of classic history , as well as great powers of description ; and we recommend it as a capital fireside book for the winter evenings .
An Appeal To The Members Of The Slokesle...
An Appeal to the Members of the Slokesley Mechanic Institute , by their late Secretary , and now expelled Member , George Twedell , Richardson , Middlesboro ' . It appears that Mr . Twedell was too blunt in his speech for the delicate respectability of the Committee of the Stokesloy Institute , and was therefore expelled . He appeals against this decision iu a very vigorous manner ; and it appears to us , that the Institute will lose more by the transaction than Mr . Twedell .
If A Man Could Have Half His Wishes He W...
If a man could have half his wishes he would double bis troubles . '
' 1 T ¦¦Ii-G-Ttiw Pmwr^H Viimim. Hard Db...
' 1 _t ¦¦ _ii-g-ttiw _PMWr _^ _H _Viimim . Hard DBi > fKiXG .--Sitting upon a rock sipping cold water . , "I feel as if I had been put to the rack , " as the horse said after standing all night at an empty Win- is a dentist likely to be a melancholy man ? _—because he alway s looks down in tbe mouth . _flaANjDY is well named . Brandy drinkers ever show red eyes . It should be written _brand-cvu . A tradesman in Bedford , having bought _' a large quantity ot foreign lard , has discovered that it is extensively adulterated with rice . D estiny . —The _Bcanegoat which we make responsible for all -our crimes and follies ; a _necessity which we set down formvincible , when we have no wish to strive against it . „
A Hit . — " You have stolen my soul , divine one 1 " exclaimed Mr . Sickly to Miss Sensible . "Pardon me , " responded the lady , " I am not in the habit of picking up little things . In London there are 3 , 000 omnibuses , each running a distance of sixty miles , and carrying 300 passengers per day , or altogether 300 , 000 , 000 in the year . Rather too Habd . —The editor of a down-east paper , a bachelor , says , "the reason why the women do not cut themselves in two by tight lacing is , because they lace around the heart , and that is so hard they cannot affect it . " Never trim the hair from the ear of your horse . It is placed there by nature to protect the orifice and drum of the ears from insects , dirt , and sudden change of weather .
CrOoD fiiom Evil . —An artilleryman was oUiged to undergo amputation . Seeing the atttntlants carrying off his leg . he called out— " I say , comrade , give me back my shoe ; 1 had only one pair—that will now make me two . " A Man is Michigan , not long since , committed suicide by drowning . As the body could not be found , the coroner held an inquest on his hat and jacket , found on the bank of the lake . Verdict"Fonnd empty . " California . —An Irishman writing from California , says : — " It's an illegant counthry . The bed bugs are as big as dinner pots , while tbe fit-as are used for crossing creeks with—one hop , an' they are over with two on their backs . "
More Zeal without Discretion . —Wehave lately heard of a Protestant with rather more sincerity than judgment , who has just discharged an old and faithful servant because the poor fellow happens to have a Roman nose!— -Punch A Roland for an Oliver . — When are you going to commence the pork business ? " asked a person of another , who had a sty in the eye . — " Explain , " said the afflicted one . — " Why , I see you have your sty ready . "— " True , " was tbe reply , " I have got a hog in my eye now . " Ubeful Recipes . —A foreign paper gives the following as sovereign remedies for _afflicting diseases ; — " For tbe gout , toast and water ; hooping cough , ipecacuanha ; bile , exercise ; corns , easy shoes ; blue devils , employment ; rheumatism , patience and new flannel ; toothache , pluck it out ; debt , retrenchment ; love , matrimony .
Porpoise Leather and Oil . — The leather tanned from tbe skin of the white porpoise , specimens of which were exhibited at the Quebec mechanical fair , attracted general attention . The strength and the beautiful fini > h of the leather were much admired ; it is equal in the latter respect to the finest call-skin , and in the former quality is much superior . —Quebec Gazette . Religious Warmth . —An advertisement in the Times announces a plan for heatiug churches by means of hot water . We wonder if the patentee has any testimonial to show from Mr . Bennett , or or any other of the Puseyite priests who have introduced into the Church more hot water than has been known there for the last hundred years . — Punch .
Get Knowledge . — "In one of my visits , very early in life , to that venerable master , Dr . Pepnsch , " says Dr . Burney , "he gave me a short lesson , that made so deep an impression that I long endeavoured to practice it . ' When I was a young man , ' said he , I determined never to go to bed at night till I knew something that I did not know in the morning . '" Dividing the Spoils—The following , though old , will be interesting to those who aro fond of sausages : —A lady having purchased some sansages of a couple of boys , overheard them talking about the money . — " Give me half of it , " says one . "I won ' t , " said the other . — ' Now that ain ' t fair , you know 'taint , Jo . for half the pup was mine . ' '
Lord Byron . —One morning a party came into the public rooms , at Buxton , somewhat later than usual , and requested some tongue . They were told that Lord Byron had eaten it all . "I am ' very angry with his lordship , " said a lady , loud enough for him to hear the observation . " I am sorry for it madam , " retorted Lord Byron ; " but before I ate the tongue 1 was assured you did not waut it . " Curious Ordeal in INDIA—There is a curious ordeal in India , which shows the action of fear upon the salivary glands . If a wrong is committed , the suspected persons are got together , and each is required to keep a quantity of rice in his mouth for a certain time , and then put it out asain : aud with the greatest certainty , the man who has done the deed puts it out almost dry , in consequence of the fear of his mind keeping back the saliva .
Dumestick Reseat , —Ta Care Tongues . —la . dk . yer tongue , if it be a _Ionian , an keep it nicely within yer teeth for two full calender munths . After that tack it to where _tbesze a tea drinking , an , if yo find , when yo want ta uze it , at its not shorter with pickle , go home direcktly , and tack it between yer teeth , ( nab mind , this iz varry important }—that bein done , let sumady fetch yo a good saand rap ower ' t top at head we a rowlin pin . an if't tongue end bleeds , or flies off , its a sign its cured . —Pogmoor _Ohnenack .
Bookbinding . —Messrs . Leighton and Son , Shoe Lane , London , have invented a waterproof cloth , for covering books ; that is not affected by dampor wet , and from whicb even spots of ink may be wiped oft ' It is not so liable to fade as ordinary cloth , but preserves its freshness and beauty for a much longer period . Mr . Starr , of the American Bible Society , New York , bas invented two machines , one for backing books , and the other for finishing them . Both machines perform well , and execute good work ; they will be exhibited at the World's Fair , next year , in London .
A Wise _Choicr . —A lady wrote to her son recently , requesting him to look out for a young lady , respectably connected , possessed of varinus elegant accomplishments and acquirements , skilled in the languages , a profioient in music , and above all of an unexceptionable moral character ; and to make her an offer of £ 20 a year for her services as governess . The son wrote in reply as follows : — "My dear Mother , —I have long been looking out for / such a person as you describe ; and when I have had the good fortune to meet with her , I propose to make an offer , not of £ 20 a year , but of my hand , and to ask ber to become , not your governess , but my wife . " He that does good to another man , does good also to himself ; not only in the consequence , but even in the very act of doing it ; for the conscience of welldoine is an ample reward . —Seneca .
A Miserable old lady , during the war , kept an inn . One day a famished soldier called on her for something to eat . Some bones , tbat bad been pretty well picked , were placed before him . After finishing his dinner , a little son of the landlady , noticing that the soldier found it very difficult to make out much of a dinner , put some , money in bis hand as he stepped out of the door . When his mother came in , he asked ber bow much it was worth to pick those old bones . "A shilling , my dear , " said the old lady , expecting to receive the money . "I thought so , " replied the boy , "and I gave the old soldier a shilling for doing so . "
The Neiv England er gives a rhapsody proceeding from a western editor , on the birth of bis nrsfc child ;— " I am this day multiplied by tvfo—I am & duplicate—lam numberoneof an indefinite series , and there is my eontinuation ! And , you observe , it is not a blocK , nor a block-head , nor a painting ; , nor a bust , nor a fragment of anything , however beautiful , but a combination of tbe arts and sciences iu onepainting , sculpture , music ( hear h ' m cry !) , mineralogy , chemistry , mechanics ( see him kick !) , geography and the use of the globes ( see him nurse !) . And withal , he is a perpetual motion—a timepiece that will never run down ! And wbowound him up 1 " ecclesiastical Statistics . In England there is , in connexion with the Establishment , one clergyman for every 333 adherents _, at an income of £ 431 each , on an average , or £ 1 , 206 , 000 per milion adherents .
In Ireland , the Church of England has a clergyman for every 235 adherents , maintained at an average income of £ 850 , or at the rate of £ 3 , 250 , 000 for every million ot * her adherents . The _Cuimcn of England maintains one prelate for every 23 , 000 of its adherents ; and in Ireland there is a prelate for every 28 , 000 adherents . In Catholic France there is one clergyman for every 1500 of the population ; there salary from the State being from £ 14 per annum for the _lotves t Cures , to £ 500 each for the highest class of Bishops , the average yielding £ oC 15 s . each . „ .. „ In Italy , there is one clergyman for every 9 o 0 ot the population , and there average income , _wclutfjjw that of the dignitaries , being £ 55 each , or . 440 , 000 million of adherents
per . . .. , ,,.,. „ According to a general estimate _gnen _y the Popular Encyclo / mm _, there are in the entne Christian world , 124 . 072 , 000 of _CnthoJics ,, w , ose clergy receive £ 0 , 100 , 000 per annumn ; 54 . 000 , 010 cu Protestants , whose clerical revenues are £ U , 900 _, 000 ; nnd 41 300 000 members of the Greek Church , whose f , _vfpsts receive £ 76 , 000 . Of the allowance to the _KShSn « W . ibe Church ef England pays -67 51 ) 0 , 000 , _baing more by a million than the 1 ope and all the priests under him derive , and nearly two-thirds of the entire sum paid by all tbe Protestant wt rid besides ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 14, 1850, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_14121850/page/3/
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