To speak the plain and honest truth,
Thou wast no scholar in thy youth.

But now go forth—broke loose from school,
Kill and destroy by classic rule,

Or die in fight, to live in story,

As valiant Hector did before ye.

On! on! take forts and storm positions,

Break Frenchmen's heads-instead of Priscian's,
And seek in death and conflagration

A gradus to thy reputation.

Yet, when the war is loud and high,

Thine old mistakes will round thee fly;
And still, in spite of all thy care,
False quantities will haunt thee there;
For thou wilt make, amidst the throng,
Or fan short, or xλso long.

'Methinks I know that figure bold,
And stalwart limbs of giant mould!
"Tis he-I know his ruddy face,

My tried staunch friend, Sir Matthew Chase.
His snore is loud, his slumber deep,

Yet dreams are with him in his sleep,

And Fancy's visions oft recall

The merry hunt and jovial hall—
And oft replace before his sight
The bustle of to-morrow's fight.
In swift succession o'er his brain,
Come fields of corn, and fields of slain;
And as the varying image burns,
Blood and blood-horses smoke by turns;
The five-barr'd gate and muddy ditch,
Smolensko and "the spotted bitch"-

And thou too, Clavering-Humour's son!
Made up of wisdom and of fun!
Medley of all that's dark and clear,
Of all that's foolish, all that's dear,
Tell me what brings thee here to die,
Thou prince of eccentricity?
Poor Arthur! in his childhood's day
He cared so little for his play,
And wore so grave and prim a look,
And cried so, when he miss'd his book,
That aunts were eager to presage

The glories of his riper age,

And fond mamma in him foresaw

The bulwark of the British law,

And Science from her lofty throne

Look'd down and "mark'd him for her own."

Ah!

"Fair forms may fleet around, my love!
And lighter steps than mine,
And sweeter tones may sound, my love!
And brighter eyes may shine;
But wheresoever thou dost rove,
Thou wilt not find a heart, my love!
So truly, wholly, thine,

As that which at thy feet is aching,
As if its every string were breaking!
"I would not see thee glad, my love!
As erst, in happier years;

Yet do not seem so sad, my love!
Because of Helen's fears;
Swiftly the flying minutes move:
And though we weep to-day, my love!
Heavy and bitter tears,

There'll be, for every tear that strays,

A thousand smiles in other days.'-vol. ii. p. 135.

ART. VI.-1. Account of a Tour in Normandy, undertaken chiefly for the purpose of investigating the Architectural Antiquities of the Duchy; with Observations on its History, on the Country, and on its Inhabitants; illustrated with numerous Engravings. By Dawson Turner, Esq. F. R.S. &c. 2 vols. Svo. London. 1820.

2. The Architectural Antiquities of Normandy, in a Series of one Hundred Etchings, with Historical and Descriptive Notices. By J. S. Cotman. Parts I. and II. royal folio. London. 1820. 3. Letters written during a Tour in Normandy, Brittany, and other Parts of France, in 1818. By Mrs. Charles Stothard. With numerous Engravings after Drawings by Charles Stothard, F. S. A. 4to. London. 1820.

4. Essai Historique sur la Ville de Caen, et ses Arrondissemens. Par M. l'Abbé de la Rue, Chanoine Honoraire de l'Eglise Cathédrale de Bayeux, &c. 2 vols. 8vo. Caen et Rouen. 1820. 5. An Inquiry into the Origin and Influence of Gothic Architecture. By William Gunn, B.D. Rector of Irstead, Norfolk. 8vo. London. 1819.

6. An Attempt to discriminate the Styles of English Architecture, from the Conquest to the Reformation, preceded by a Sketch of the Grecian and Roman Orders; with Notices of nearly Five Hundred English Buildings. By Thomas Rickman. 1819. 7. Chronological and Historical Illustrations of the Ancient Architecture of Great Britain. By John Britton, F. S. A. Six Parts. 4to. London. 1821.

8. Specimens

8. Specimens of Gothic Architecture, selected from various ancient Edifices in England; consisting of Parts, Elevations, Sections, and Parts at large, calculated to exemplify the various Styles of this Class of Architecture. The Drawings by A. Pugin, Architect, and the Engravings by E. Thuill. Parts I. and II. London. 1821.

VERY nook in our island has now been completely ransacked, and described by our tourists and topographers. If we call over the Counties one by one, their historians will be seen marshalling their ranks in quarto and in folio. The humbler antiquary of the Ancient Borough ekes out his octavo with chronicles of Shreeves and Mayors, and transcripts of the wills of the founders of the Green-coat school and the Almshouse: and every hamlet, raised by the opulence of the state into the rank of a wateringplace, possesses some diligent Guide;' in whose slender duodecimo, the card of the Master of the Ceremonies, and the description of the assembly-rooms, are introduced by an historical dissertation upon the Silures or the Trinobantes. Nor has the pencil been employed with less diligence than the pen. It would be difficult to name any structure of the olden time' which has not been transmitted into the portfolio and the library. The cathedral, whose intricate beauty would almost seem to mock the skill of the designer, yet affords him a fitting trial for his art; while the village church furnishes the material for an accurate S. E. view,' in which the artist carefully eclipses the building itself by the brilliancy and finish of the skulls and cross-bones on the tombstones, and the weathercock on the stumped tower. Such are the productions received with due gratitude by our old and much respected friend Silvanus Urban; who, since he began his career, in the year one thousand seven hundred and thirty, has done infinite service, by storing his Magazine with information which all the world would wish to preserve, though it is morally certain that no mortal but himself would ever have had the firmness to rescue it from oblivion.

Our home subjects having been thus so thoroughly investigated; it was full time, that some attempt should be made to illustrate the antiquities of Normandy, the most important of our transmarine provinces. The French King must not be offended, or, as Mr. Madison expresses it, put himself in an attitude, in consequence of the claim of property which we thus assert. My Lord Coke has given an opinion, in his fourth Institute, that the King of England has not lost his legal right of entry on the Duchy of Normandy, and of bringing an ejectment against his Most Christian Majesty, and recovering possession in due form of law; the islands

of

meagre

of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, with the appurtenances, being, as he says, 'good seizin for the rest of the territory.' This, perhaps, is a state-affair, and ought to be considered by ministers, so we do not choose to meddle with it; but it is quite certain, that in Normandy an Englishman feels himself as much within the pale of English history as if he were in Yorkshire. The theme is so congenial to us, that, for want of a better work, even the compilation of Ducarrel has long since become as valuable as scarcity and high prices could possibly make it. Let it not be supposed that we intend to disparage the memory of the Doctor; he led the way, and we will give him all the meed of praise which is due to a valiant leader. But his travels in the province were confined to a few of its districts; and his architectural plates, which, in books of this class, must always constitute the most important portion, are below contempt. Executed by the most unskilful artists, they bear no intelligible resemblance whatever to the buildings which they caricature and deform.

At the period when Ducarrel wrote, these defects were not easily avoided; the architecture of the Middle Ages had not been studied. Unless an artist feels and estimates all the peculiarities and characteristics of the subject which is placed before him, be that object what it may, he never can delineate it with satisfactory accuracy. A man who attempts to copy inscriptions cut in an alphabet which he cannot read, will make an unintelligible facsimile, though he pore over the original never so carefully. Where a stroke is half obliterated, he will make a break; where another is accidentally lengthened, he will run it into the next letter; and the aggregate of these unavoidable mistakes renders the transcript of no value. A drawing made by a draftsman who does not fully understand the parts of the subject will exhibit similar faults. To be able to delineate accurately, he must know what the outline ought to be: if he does not possess this antecedent knowledge, he will never discover what it is. The slightest irregularity in the curve will induce him to twist the depressed arch into an ogee, He converts the foliaged pinnacle into a jagged pyramid. Destitute of any distinct conception of the meaning of the several parts, he has no distinct perception of their united forms and bearing: he may look and gaze attentively, yet the lines which he traces upon his paper will never arrange themselves significantly, unless the mind's eye also sees that which is seen by the corporeal eye, unless the intellect guides the hand.*

* Hollar, whose talents are unquestionable, affords an illustration of the errors incident to the drawings of an artist who has no critical sense of the character of architecture.

The

The works relating to Normandy now before us, to which may be added Mr. Dibdin's splendid tour, therefore, afford much information of which we stood in need. Mr. Turner introduces his Letters by the following explanatory remarks:

'My narrative is principally addressed to those readers who find pleasure in the investigation of architectural antiquity. Without the slightest pretensions to the character either of an architect or of an antiquary, engaged in other avocations and employed in other studies, I am but too conscious of my inability to do justice to the subject. Yet my remarks may at least assist the future traveller, by pointing out such objects as are interesting, either on account of their antiquity or their architectural worth.'

The plates, etched and drawn by Mr. Cotman, are recommended by a high degree of merit and curiosity; most of the subjects which this indefatigable artist has chosen are hitherto inedited monuments. Mr. Cotman's style of engraving is well adapted for architecture, and he unites picturesque effect with fidelity of delineation. His plates are perhaps deficient in the management of the middle tints; but we doubt whether this is so injurious to the effect and harmony of the print as the fruitless endeavours which are sometimes made to express all the varieties of colour on the copper. Engravers fall too much into this practice. The notion of colour conveyed by shading in black and white, is an attempt which may be compared to the music produced by drumming on a table.

Mr. Stothard travelled to Normandy for the purpose of delineating the celebrated tapestry of Bayeux. This task was intrusted to him by the Antiquarian Society. It could be only executed by a careful artist, gifted with correct antiquarian feeling. On this journey, he was accompanied by Mrs. Stothard, who, in a series of letters addressed to her mother and family, has given a pretty full account of her excursion; but we observe, with regret, that justice has not been done by the aquatinter to the beautiful drawings of her husband which accompany it. This lady's lively and picturesque narrative has amused us. The engravings do not give an adequate idea of the firm delicacy of the originals.

The Abbé de la Rue has most diligently illustrated the antiquities of his native town in his Historical Essays.' De Bourgueville, in his History of Caen,' and the celebrated Huet, in the Origines de Caen,' had previously treated the same subject, but with far less diligence and accuracy. During his residence in this country, the Abbé was enabled to study the Norman rolls in the Tower of London, which were wholly unknown to his predecessors; as well as the Monastic Chartularies of France, which, as the Abbé observes, have only been accessible since the revolution. He has