The piercing anguish'd note, the brushing wing, Stands fluttering, or runs o'er his narrow field, Quivering, as if to fly; his carol gay Lightening the pale mechanic's tedious task. Poor birds! most sad the change, of daisied fields, Of hawthorn blooming sprays, of boundless air, GRAHAME. FRIENDS. FRIEND after friend departs : Beyond the flight of time, Form'd for the good alone! Thus star by star declines, As morning high and higher shines Nor sink those stars in empty night, They hide themselves in heaven's own light. J. MONTGOMERY. THE GLADNESS OF NATURE. Is this a time to be cloudy and sad, When our mother Nature laughs around; When even the deep blue heavens look glad, And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground? There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren, And the gossip of swallows through all the sky; The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den, And the wilding bee hums merrily by. The clouds are at play in the azure space, And their shadows at play on the bright green vale, And here they stretch to the frolic chase, There's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower, There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree, There's a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower, And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea. And look at the broad-fac'd sun, how he smiles BRYANT. DEATH OF DE BOUNE. A TALE OF BANNOCKBURN. OH! gay, yet fearful to behold, Flashing with steel and rough with gold, The incident is thus related in Sir W. Scott's History of Scotland, where a most interesting account of the battle is given: The evening before the battle "Bruce himself, mounted upon a small horse or pony, was attentively marshalling the ranks of his vanguard. He carried a battle-axe in his hand, and was distinguished to friend and enemy by a golden coronet which he wore on his helmet. A part of the English vanguard made its appearance at this time; and a knight amongst them, Sir Henry de Bohun, conceiving he saw an opportunity of gaining himself much honour and ending the Scottish war at a single blow, couched his lance, spurred his powerful warhorse, and rode against the king at full career, with the expectation of bearing him to the earth by the superior strength of his charger and length of his weapon. The king, aware of his purpose, stood as if expecting the shock; but the instant before it took place, he suddenly moved his little palfrey to the left, avoided the unequal encounter, and striking the English knight with his battle-axe, as he passed him in his career, he dashed helmet and head to pieces, and laid Sir Henry de Bohun at his feet a dead man. The Scottish nobles remonstrated with Robert on the hazard in which he placed his person. The king looked at his weapon, and only replied, 'I have broken my good battle-axe.'” Edward II. Though light and wandering was his glance, The Bruce, my liege; I know him well." Sir Egidius or Giles de Argentine was one of the most accomplished knights of the period. He had served in the wars of Henry of Luxembourg with such reputation, that he was, in the popular esteem, the third worthy of the age. Those to whom fame assigned precedence over him were, Henry of Luxembourg himself, and Robert Bruce. Argentine had warred in Palestine, encountered thrice with the Saracens, and had slain two antagonists in each engagement - an easy matter, he said, for one christian knight to slay two pagan dogs. His death corresponded with his high character. With Aylmer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, he was appointed to attend immediately upon the person of Edward II. at Bannockburn. When the day was utterly lost, they forced the king from the field. De Argentine saw the king safe from immediate danger, and then took his leave of him; "God be with you, Sir," he said, "it is not my wont to fly." So saying, he turned his horse, cried his war-cry, plunged into the midst of the combatants, and was slain. |