Essential Tales And Poems Of Edgar Allan Poe Part 6

It was a night of unusual gloom. The great clock of the Piazza had sounded the fifth hour of the Italian evening. The square of the Campanile lay silent and deserted, and the lights in the old Ducal Palace were dying fast away. I was returning home from the Piazetta, by way of the Grand Ca.n.a.l. But as my gondola arrived opposite the mouth of the ca.n.a.l San Marco, a female voice from its recesses broke suddenly upon the night, in one wild, hysterical, and long-continued shriek. Startled at the sound, I sprang upon my feet; while the gondolier, letting slip his single oar, lost it in the pitchy darkness beyond a chance of recovery, and we were consequently left to the guidance of the current which here sets from the greater into the smaller channel. Like some huge and sable-feathered condor, we were slowly drifting down toward the Bridge of Sighs, when a thousand flambeaux flas.h.i.+ng from the windows, and down the staircases of the Ducal Palace, turned all at once that deep gloom into a livid and preternatural day.

A child, slipping from the arms of its own mother, had fallen from an upper window of the lofty structure into the deep and dim ca.n.a.l. The quiet waters had closed placidly over their victim; and, although my own gondola was the only one in sight, many a stout swimmer, already in the stream, was seeking in vain upon the surface, the treasure which was to be found, alas! only within the abyss. Upon the broad black marble flagstones at the entrance of the palace, and a few steps above the water, stood a figure which none who then saw can have ever since forgotten. It was the Marchesa Aphrodite-the adoration of all Venice-the gayest of the gay-the most lovely where all were beautiful-but still the young wife of the old and intriguing Mentoni, and the mother of that fair child, her first and only one, who now, deep beneath the murky water, was thinking in bitterness of heart upon her sweet caresses, and exhausting its little life in struggles to call upon her name.

She stood alone. Her small, bare and silvery feet gleamed in the black mirror of marble beneath her. Her hair, not as yet more than half loosened for the night from its ball-room array, cl.u.s.tered, amid a shower of diamonds, round and round her cla.s.sical head, in curls like those of the young hyacinth. A snowy-white and gauze-like drapery seemed to be nearly the sole covering to her delicate form; but the mid-summer and midnight air was hot, sullen, and still, and no motion in the statue-like form itself, stirred even the folds of that raiment of very vapor which hung around it as the heavy marble hangs around the Niobe.bo Yet-strange to say!-her large l.u.s.trous eyes were not turned downward upon that grave wherein her brightest hope lay buried-but riveted in a widely different direction! The prison of the Old Republic is, I think, the stateliest building in all Venice-but how could that lady gaze so fixedly upon it, when beneath her lay stifling her own child? Yon dark, gloomy niche, too, yawns right opposite her chamber window-what, then, Yet-strange to say!-her large l.u.s.trous eyes were not turned downward upon that grave wherein her brightest hope lay buried-but riveted in a widely different direction! The prison of the Old Republic is, I think, the stateliest building in all Venice-but how could that lady gaze so fixedly upon it, when beneath her lay stifling her own child? Yon dark, gloomy niche, too, yawns right opposite her chamber window-what, then, could could there be in its shadows-in its architecture-in its ivy-wreathed and solemn cornices-that the Marchesa di Mentoni had not wondered at a thousand times before? Nonsense!-Who does not remember that, at such a time as this, the eye, like a shattered mirror, multiplies the images of its sorrow, and sees in innumerable far-off places, the woe which is close at hand? there be in its shadows-in its architecture-in its ivy-wreathed and solemn cornices-that the Marchesa di Mentoni had not wondered at a thousand times before? Nonsense!-Who does not remember that, at such a time as this, the eye, like a shattered mirror, multiplies the images of its sorrow, and sees in innumerable far-off places, the woe which is close at hand?

Many steps above the Marchesa, and within the arch of the water-gate, stood, in full dress, the Satyr-like figure of Mentoni himself. He was occasionally occupied in thrumming a guitar, and seemed ennuye ennuye bp bp to the very death, as at intervals he gave directions for the recovery of his child. Stupefied and aghast, I had myself no power to move from the upright position I had a.s.sumed upon first hearing the shriek, and must have presented to the eyes of the agitated group a spectral and ominous appearance, as with pale countenance and rigid limbs, I floated down among them in that funereal gondola. to the very death, as at intervals he gave directions for the recovery of his child. Stupefied and aghast, I had myself no power to move from the upright position I had a.s.sumed upon first hearing the shriek, and must have presented to the eyes of the agitated group a spectral and ominous appearance, as with pale countenance and rigid limbs, I floated down among them in that funereal gondola.

All efforts proved in vain. Many of the most energetic in the search were relaxing their exertions, and yielding to a gloomy sorrow. There seemed but little hope for the child; (how much less than for the mother!) but now, from the interior of that dark niche which has been already mentioned as forming a part of the Old Republican prison, and as fronting the lattice of the Marchesa, a figure m.u.f.fled in a cloak, stepped out within reach of the light, and, pausing a moment upon the verge of the giddy descent, plunged headlong into the ca.n.a.l. As, in an instant afterward, he stood with the still living and breathing child within his grasp, upon the marble flagstones by the side of the Marchesa, his cloak, heavy with the drenching water, became unfastened, and, filling in folds about his feet, discovered to the wonder-stricken spectators the graceful person of a very young man, with the sound of whose name the greater part of Europe was then ringing.

No word spoke the deliverer. But the Marchesa! She will now receive her child-she will press it to her heart-she will cling to its little form, and smother it with her caresses. Alas! another's another's arms have taken it from the stranger- arms have taken it from the stranger-another's arms have taken it away, and borne it afar off, unnoticed, into the palace! And the Marchesa! Her lip-her beautiful lip trembles; tears are gathering in her eyes-those eyes which, like Pliny's acanthus, are "soft and almost liquid." Yes! tears are gathering in those eyes-and see! the entire woman thrills throughout the soul, and the statue has started into life! The pallor of the marble countenance, the swelling of the marble bosom, the very purity of the marble feet, we behold suddenly flushed over with a tide of ungovernable crimson; and a slight shudder quivers about her delicate frame, as a gentle air at Napoli about the rich silver lilies in the gra.s.s. arms have taken it away, and borne it afar off, unnoticed, into the palace! And the Marchesa! Her lip-her beautiful lip trembles; tears are gathering in her eyes-those eyes which, like Pliny's acanthus, are "soft and almost liquid." Yes! tears are gathering in those eyes-and see! the entire woman thrills throughout the soul, and the statue has started into life! The pallor of the marble countenance, the swelling of the marble bosom, the very purity of the marble feet, we behold suddenly flushed over with a tide of ungovernable crimson; and a slight shudder quivers about her delicate frame, as a gentle air at Napoli about the rich silver lilies in the gra.s.s.

Why should should that lady blus.h.!.+ To this demand there is no answer-except that, having left, in the eager haste and terror of a mother's heart, the privacy of her own that lady blus.h.!.+ To this demand there is no answer-except that, having left, in the eager haste and terror of a mother's heart, the privacy of her own boudoir, boudoir, she has neglected to enthral her tiny feet in their slippers, and utterly forgotten to throw over her Venetian shoulders that drapery which is their due. What other possible reason could there have been for her so blus.h.i.+ng?-for the glance of those wild appealing eyes?-for the unusual tumult of that throbbing bosom?-for the convulsive pressure of that trembling hand?-that hand which fell, as Mentoni turned into the palace, accidentally, upon the hand of the stranger. What reason could there have been for the low-the singularly low tone of those unmeaning words which the lady uttered hurriedly in bidding him adieu? "Thou hast conquered," she said, or the murmurs of the water deceived me; "thou hast conquered-one hour after sunrise-we shall meet-so let it be!" she has neglected to enthral her tiny feet in their slippers, and utterly forgotten to throw over her Venetian shoulders that drapery which is their due. What other possible reason could there have been for her so blus.h.i.+ng?-for the glance of those wild appealing eyes?-for the unusual tumult of that throbbing bosom?-for the convulsive pressure of that trembling hand?-that hand which fell, as Mentoni turned into the palace, accidentally, upon the hand of the stranger. What reason could there have been for the low-the singularly low tone of those unmeaning words which the lady uttered hurriedly in bidding him adieu? "Thou hast conquered," she said, or the murmurs of the water deceived me; "thou hast conquered-one hour after sunrise-we shall meet-so let it be!"

The tumult had subsided, the lights had died away within the palace, and the stranger, whom I now recognized, stood alone upon the flags. He with inconceivable agitation, and his eye glanced around in search of a gondola. I could not do less than offer him the service of my own; and he accepted the civility. Having obtained an oar at the water-gate, we proceeded together to his residence, while he rapidly recovered his self-possession, and spoke of our former slight acquaintance in terms of great apparent cordiality.

There are some subjects upon which I take pleasure in being minute. The person of the stranger-let me call him by this t.i.tle, who to all the world was still a stranger-the person of the stranger is one of these subjects. In height he might have been below rather than above the medium size: although there were moments of intense pa.s.sion when his frame actually expanded expanded and belied the a.s.sertion. The light, almost slender symmetry of his figure promised more of that ready activity which he evinced at the Bridge of Sighs, than of that Herculean strength which he has been known to wield without an effort, upon occasions of more dangerous emergency. With the mouth and chin of a deity-singular, wild, full, liquid eyes, whose shadows varied from pure hazel to intense and brilliant jet-and a profusion of curling, black hair, from which a forehead of unusual breadth gleamed forth at intervals all light and ivory-his were features than which I have seen none more cla.s.sically regular, except, perhaps, the marble ones of the Emperor Commodus. and belied the a.s.sertion. The light, almost slender symmetry of his figure promised more of that ready activity which he evinced at the Bridge of Sighs, than of that Herculean strength which he has been known to wield without an effort, upon occasions of more dangerous emergency. With the mouth and chin of a deity-singular, wild, full, liquid eyes, whose shadows varied from pure hazel to intense and brilliant jet-and a profusion of curling, black hair, from which a forehead of unusual breadth gleamed forth at intervals all light and ivory-his were features than which I have seen none more cla.s.sically regular, except, perhaps, the marble ones of the Emperor Commodus.bq Yet his countenance was, nevertheless, one of those which all men have seen at some period of their lives, and have never afterward seen again. It had no peculiar, it had no settled predominant expression to be fastened upon the memory; a countenance seen and instantly forgotten, but forgotten with a vague and never-ceasing desire of recalling it to mind. Not that the spirit of each rapid pa.s.sion failed, at any time, to throw its own distinct image upon the mirror of that face-but that the mirror, mirrorlike, retained no vestige of the pa.s.sion, when the pa.s.sion had departed. Yet his countenance was, nevertheless, one of those which all men have seen at some period of their lives, and have never afterward seen again. It had no peculiar, it had no settled predominant expression to be fastened upon the memory; a countenance seen and instantly forgotten, but forgotten with a vague and never-ceasing desire of recalling it to mind. Not that the spirit of each rapid pa.s.sion failed, at any time, to throw its own distinct image upon the mirror of that face-but that the mirror, mirrorlike, retained no vestige of the pa.s.sion, when the pa.s.sion had departed.

Upon leaving him on the night of our adventure, he solicited me, in what I thought an urgent manner, to call upon him very very early the next morning. Shortly after sunrise, I found myself accordingly at his Palazzo, one of those huge structures of gloomy yet fantastic pomp, which tower above the waters of the Grand Ca.n.a.l in the vicinity of the Rialto. I was shown up a broad winding staircase of mosaics, into an apartment whose unparalleled splendor burst through the opening door with an actual glare, making me blind and dizzy with luxurious-ness. early the next morning. Shortly after sunrise, I found myself accordingly at his Palazzo, one of those huge structures of gloomy yet fantastic pomp, which tower above the waters of the Grand Ca.n.a.l in the vicinity of the Rialto. I was shown up a broad winding staircase of mosaics, into an apartment whose unparalleled splendor burst through the opening door with an actual glare, making me blind and dizzy with luxurious-ness.

I knew my acquaintance to be wealthy. Report had spoken of his possessions in terms which I had even ventured to call terms of ridiculous exaggeration. But as I gazed about me, I could not bring myself to believe that the wealth of any subject in Europe could have supplied the princely magnificence which burned and blazed around.

Although, as I say, the sun had arisen, yet the room was still brilliantly lighted up. I judge from this circ.u.mstance, as well as from an air of exhaustion in the countenance of my friend, that he had not retired to bed during the whole of the preceding night. In the architecture and embellishments of the chamber, the evident design had been to dazzle and astound. Little attention had been paid to the decora decora of what is technically called of what is technically called keeping, keeping, or to the proprieties of nationality. The eye wandered from object to object, and rested upon none-neither the or to the proprieties of nationality. The eye wandered from object to object, and rested upon none-neither the grotesques grotesques of the Greek painters, nor the sculptures of the best Italian days, nor the huge carvings of untutored Egypt. Rich draperies in every part of the room trembled to the vibration of low, melancholy music, whose origin was not to be discovered. The senses were oppressed by mingled and conflicting perfumes, reeking up from strange convolute censers, together with mult.i.tudinous flaring and flickering tongues of emerald and violet fire. The rays of the newly risen sun poured in upon the whole, through windows, formed each of a single pane of crimson-tinted gla.s.s. Glancing to and fro, in a thousand reflections, from curtains which rolled from their cornices like cataracts of molten silver, the beams of natural glory mingled at length fitfully with the artificial light, and lay weltering in subdued ma.s.ses upon a carpet of rich, liquid-looking cloth of Chili gold. of the Greek painters, nor the sculptures of the best Italian days, nor the huge carvings of untutored Egypt. Rich draperies in every part of the room trembled to the vibration of low, melancholy music, whose origin was not to be discovered. The senses were oppressed by mingled and conflicting perfumes, reeking up from strange convolute censers, together with mult.i.tudinous flaring and flickering tongues of emerald and violet fire. The rays of the newly risen sun poured in upon the whole, through windows, formed each of a single pane of crimson-tinted gla.s.s. Glancing to and fro, in a thousand reflections, from curtains which rolled from their cornices like cataracts of molten silver, the beams of natural glory mingled at length fitfully with the artificial light, and lay weltering in subdued ma.s.ses upon a carpet of rich, liquid-looking cloth of Chili gold.

"Ha! ha! ha!-ha! ha! ha!"-laughed the proprietor, motioning me to a seat as I entered the room, and throwing himself back at full-length upon an ottoman. "I see," said he, perceiving that I could not immediately reconcile myself to the bienseance bienseance of so singular a welcome, -"I see you are astonished at my apartment-at my statues-my pictures-my originality of conception in architecture and upholstery! absolutely drunk, eh, with my magnificence? But pardon me, my dear sir (here his tone of voice dropped to the very spirit of cordiality); pardon me for my uncharitable laughter. You appeared so of so singular a welcome, -"I see you are astonished at my apartment-at my statues-my pictures-my originality of conception in architecture and upholstery! absolutely drunk, eh, with my magnificence? But pardon me, my dear sir (here his tone of voice dropped to the very spirit of cordiality); pardon me for my uncharitable laughter. You appeared so utterly utterly astonished. Besides, some things are so completely ludicrous, that a man astonished. Besides, some things are so completely ludicrous, that a man must must laugh, or die. To die laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths! Sir Thomas More laugh, or die. To die laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths! Sir Thomas Morebr-a very fine man was Sir Thomas More-Sir Thomas More died laughing, you remember. Also in the 'Absurdities' of Ravisius Textor,bs there is a long list of characters who came to the same magnificent end. Do you know, however," continued he, musingly, "that at Sparta (which is now Palaeochori), at Sparta, I say, to the west of the citadel, among a chaos of scarcely visible ruins, is a kind of there is a long list of characters who came to the same magnificent end. Do you know, however," continued he, musingly, "that at Sparta (which is now Palaeochori), at Sparta, I say, to the west of the citadel, among a chaos of scarcely visible ruins, is a kind of socle, socle,upon which are still legible the letters. They are undoubtedly part of.bt Now, at Sparta were a thousand temples and shrines to a thousand different divinities. How exceedingly strange that the altar of Laughter should have survived all the others! But in the present instance," he resumed, with a singular alteration of voice and manner, "I have no right to be merry at your expense. You might well have been amazed. Europe cannot produce any thing so fine as this, my little regal cabinet. My other apartments are by no means of the same order-mere Now, at Sparta were a thousand temples and shrines to a thousand different divinities. How exceedingly strange that the altar of Laughter should have survived all the others! But in the present instance," he resumed, with a singular alteration of voice and manner, "I have no right to be merry at your expense. You might well have been amazed. Europe cannot produce any thing so fine as this, my little regal cabinet. My other apartments are by no means of the same order-mere ultras ultrasbu of fas.h.i.+onable insipidity. This is better than fas.h.i.+on-is it not? Yet this has but to be seen to become the rage-that is, with those who could afford it at the cost of their entire patrimony. I have guarded, however, against any such profanation. With one exception, you are the only human being, besides myself and my of fas.h.i.+onable insipidity. This is better than fas.h.i.+on-is it not? Yet this has but to be seen to become the rage-that is, with those who could afford it at the cost of their entire patrimony. I have guarded, however, against any such profanation. With one exception, you are the only human being, besides myself and my valet, valet, who has been admitted within the mysteries of these imperial precincts, since they have been bedizened as you see!" who has been admitted within the mysteries of these imperial precincts, since they have been bedizened as you see!"

I bowed in acknowledgment-for the overpowering sense of splendor and perfume and music, together with the unexpected eccentricity of his address and manner, prevented me from expressing, in words, my appreciation of what I might have construed into a compliment.

"Here," he resumed, arising and leaning on my arm as he sauntered around the apartment, "here are paintings from the Greeks to Cimabue,bv and from Cimabue to the present hour. Many are chosen, as you see, with little deference to the opinions of Virtu. and from Cimabue to the present hour. Many are chosen, as you see, with little deference to the opinions of Virtu.bw They are all, however, fitting tapestry for a chamber such as this. Here, too, are some They are all, however, fitting tapestry for a chamber such as this. Here, too, are some chef d' uvres chef d' uvres of the unknown great; and here, unfinished designs by men, celebrated in their day, whose very names the perspicacity of the academies has left to silence and to me. What think you," said he, turning abruptly as he spoke,-"what think you of this Madonna della Pieta?" of the unknown great; and here, unfinished designs by men, celebrated in their day, whose very names the perspicacity of the academies has left to silence and to me. What think you," said he, turning abruptly as he spoke,-"what think you of this Madonna della Pieta?"

"It is Guido'sbx own!" I said, with all the enthusiasm of my nature, for I had been poring intently over its surpa.s.sing loveliness. "It is Guido's own!-how own!" I said, with all the enthusiasm of my nature, for I had been poring intently over its surpa.s.sing loveliness. "It is Guido's own!-how could could you have obtained it? she is undoubtedly in painting what the Venus is in sculpture." you have obtained it? she is undoubtedly in painting what the Venus is in sculpture."

"Ha!" said he, thoughtfully, "the Venus?-the beautiful Venus?-the Venus of the Medici?by-she of the diminutive head and the gilded hair? Part of the left arm [here his voice dropped so as to be heard with difficulty], and all the right, are restorations, and in the coquetry of that right arm lies, I think, the quintessence of all affectation. Give me me the Canova! the Canova!bz The Apollo, too, is a copy-there can be no doubt of it-blind fool that I am, who cannot behold the boasted inspiration of the Apollo! The Apollo, too, is a copy-there can be no doubt of it-blind fool that I am, who cannot behold the boasted inspiration of the Apollo!ca I cannot help-pity me!-I cannot help preferring the Antinous. I cannot help-pity me!-I cannot help preferring the Antinous.cb Was it not Socrates who said that the statuary found his statue in the block of marble? Then Michael Angelo was by no means original in his couplet- Was it not Socrates who said that the statuary found his statue in the block of marble? Then Michael Angelo was by no means original in his couplet- 'Non ha l'ottimo artista alcun concetto Che un marmo solo in se non circunscriva.' "cc It has been, or should be remarked, that, in the manner of the true gentleman, we are always aware of a difference from the bearing of the vulgar, without being at once precisely able to determine in what such difference consists. Allowing the remark to have applied in its full force to the outward demeanor of my acquaintance, I felt it, on that eventful morning, still more fully applicable to his moral temperament and character. Nor can I better define that peculiarity of spirit which seemed to place him so essentially apart from all other human beings, than by calling it a habit habit of intense and continual thought, pervading even his most trivial actions-intruding upon his moments of dalliance-and interweaving itself with his very flashes of merriment-like adders which writhe from out the eyes of the grinning masks in the cornices around the temples of Persepolis. of intense and continual thought, pervading even his most trivial actions-intruding upon his moments of dalliance-and interweaving itself with his very flashes of merriment-like adders which writhe from out the eyes of the grinning masks in the cornices around the temples of Persepolis.

I could not help, however, repeatedly observing, through the mingled tone of levity and solemnity with which he rapidly descanted upon matters of little importance, a certain air of trepidation-a degree of nervous unction unction in action and in speech-an unquiet excitability of manner which appeared to me at all times unaccountable, and upon some occasions even filled me with alarm. Frequently, too, pausing in the middle of a sentence whose commencement he had apparently forgotten, he seemed to be listening in the deepest attention, as if either in momentary expectation of a visitor, or to sounds which must have had existence in his imagination alone. in action and in speech-an unquiet excitability of manner which appeared to me at all times unaccountable, and upon some occasions even filled me with alarm. Frequently, too, pausing in the middle of a sentence whose commencement he had apparently forgotten, he seemed to be listening in the deepest attention, as if either in momentary expectation of a visitor, or to sounds which must have had existence in his imagination alone.

It was during one of these reveries or pauses of apparent abstraction, that, in turning over a page of the poet and scholar Politian's beautiful tragedy, "The Orfeo"cd (the first native Italian tragedy), which lay near me upon an ottoman, I discovered a pa.s.sage underlined in pencil. It was a pa.s.sage toward the end of the third act-a pa.s.sage of the most heart-stirring excitement-a pa.s.sage which, although tainted with impurity, no man shall read without a thrill of novel emotion-no woman without a sigh. The whole page was blotted with fresh tears; and, upon the opposite interleaf, were the following English lines, written in a hand so very different from the peculiar characters of my acquaintance, that I had some difficulty in recognizing it as his own: (the first native Italian tragedy), which lay near me upon an ottoman, I discovered a pa.s.sage underlined in pencil. It was a pa.s.sage toward the end of the third act-a pa.s.sage of the most heart-stirring excitement-a pa.s.sage which, although tainted with impurity, no man shall read without a thrill of novel emotion-no woman without a sigh. The whole page was blotted with fresh tears; and, upon the opposite interleaf, were the following English lines, written in a hand so very different from the peculiar characters of my acquaintance, that I had some difficulty in recognizing it as his own: Thou wast that all to me, love, For which my soul did pine- A green isle in the sea, love, A fountain and a shrine, All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers; And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last!

Ah, starry Hope, that didst arise But to be overcast!

A voice from out the Future cries, "Onward !"-but o'er the Past (Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies, Mute-motionless-aghast!

For alas! alas! with me The light of life is o'er.

"No more-no more-no more, (Such language holds the solemn seaTo the sands upon the sh.o.r.e), Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree, Or the stricken eagle soar!

Now all my hours are trances; And all my nightly dreams Are where the dark eye glances, And where thy footstep gleams In what ethereal dances, By what Italian streams.

Alas! for that accursed time They bore thee o'er the billow, From Love to t.i.tled age and crime, And an unholy pillow!- From me, and from our misty clime, Where weeps the silver willow!ce That these lines were written in English-a language with which I had not believed their author acquainted-afforded me little matter of surprise. I was too well aware of the extent of his acquirements, and of the singular pleasure he took in concealing them from observation, to be astonished at any similar discovery; but the place of date, I must confess, occasioned me no little amazement. It had been originally London, London, and afterward carefully overscored-not, however, so effectually as to conceal the word from a scrutinizing eye. I say, this occasioned me no little amazement; for I well remember that, in a former conversation with my friend, I particularly inquired if he had at any time met in London the Marchesa di Mentoni (who for some years previous to her marriage had resided in that city), when his answer, if I mistake not, gave me to understand that he had never visited the metropolis of Great Britain. I might as well here mention, that I have more than once heard (without, of course, giving credit to a report involving so many improbabilities), that the person of whom I speak, was not only by birth, but in education, an and afterward carefully overscored-not, however, so effectually as to conceal the word from a scrutinizing eye. I say, this occasioned me no little amazement; for I well remember that, in a former conversation with my friend, I particularly inquired if he had at any time met in London the Marchesa di Mentoni (who for some years previous to her marriage had resided in that city), when his answer, if I mistake not, gave me to understand that he had never visited the metropolis of Great Britain. I might as well here mention, that I have more than once heard (without, of course, giving credit to a report involving so many improbabilities), that the person of whom I speak, was not only by birth, but in education, an Englishman. Englishman.

"There is one painting," said he, without being aware of my notice of the tragedy,-"there is still one painting which you have not seen." And throwing aside a drapery, he discovered a full-length portrait of the Marchesa Aphrodite.

Human art could have done no more in the delineation of her super-human beauty. The same ethereal figure which stood before me the preceding night upon the steps of the Ducal Palace, stood before me once again. But in the expression of the countenance, which was beaming all over with smiles, there still lurked (incomprehensible anomaly!) that fitful stain of melancholy which will ever be found inseparable from the perfection of the beautiful. Her right arm lay folded over her bosom. With her left she pointed downward to a curiously fas.h.i.+oned vase. One small, fairy foot, alone visible, barely touched the earth; and, scarcely discernible in the brilliant atmosphere which seemed to encircle and enshrine her loveliness, floated a pair of the most delicately imagined wings. My glance fell from the painting to the figure of my friend, and the vigorous words of Chap-man's Bussy D'Ambois, Bussy D'Ambois, quivered instinctively upon my lips: quivered instinctively upon my lips: "He is up There like a Roman statue! He will stand Till Death hath made him marble!"cf "Come," he said at length, turning toward a table of richly enamelled and ma.s.sive silver, upon which were a few goblets fantastically stained, together with two large Etruscan vases, fas.h.i.+oned in the same extraordinary model as that in the foreground of the portrait, and filled with what I supposed to be Johannisberger. "Come," he said, abruptly, "let us drink! It is early-but let us drink. It is indeed indeed early," he continued, musingly, as a cherub with a heavy golden hammer made the apartment ring with the first hour after sunrise: "it is early," he continued, musingly, as a cherub with a heavy golden hammer made the apartment ring with the first hour after sunrise: "it is indeed indeed early-but what matters it? let us drink! Let us pour out an of fering to yon solemn sun which these gaudy lamps and censers are so eager to subdue!" And having made me pledge him in a b.u.mper, he swallowed in rapid succession several goblets of the wine. early-but what matters it? let us drink! Let us pour out an of fering to yon solemn sun which these gaudy lamps and censers are so eager to subdue!" And having made me pledge him in a b.u.mper, he swallowed in rapid succession several goblets of the wine.

"To dream," he continued, resuming the tone of his desultory conversation, as he held up to the rich light of a censer one of the magnificent vases-"to dream has been the business of my life, I have therefore framed for myself, as you see, a bower of dreams. In the heart of Venice could I have erected a better? You behold around you, it is true, a medley of architectural embellishments. The chast.i.ty of Ionia is offended by antediluvian devices, and the sphynxes of Egypt are outstretched upon carpets of gold. Yet the effect is incongruous to the timid alone. Proprieties of place, and especially of time, are the bugbears which terrify mankind from the contemplation of the magnificent. Once I was myself a decorist; but that sublimation of folly has palled upon my soul. All this is now the fitter for my purpose. Like these arabesque censers, my spirit is writhing in fire, and the delirium of this scene is fas.h.i.+oning me for the wilder visions of that land of real dreams whither I am now rapidly departing." He here paused abruptly, bent his head to his bosom, and seemed to listen to a sound which I could not hear. At length, erecting his frame, he looked upwards, and e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the lines of the Bishop of Chichester: "Stay for me there! I will not fail To meet thee in that hollow vale."

In the next instant, confessing the power of the wine, he threw himself at full length upon an ottoman.

A quick step was now heard upon the staircase, and a loud knock at the door rapidly succeeded. I was hastening to antic.i.p.ate a second disturbance, when a page of Mentoni's household burst into the room, and faltered out, in a voice choking with emotion, the incoherent words, "My mistress!-my mistress!-Poisoned!-poisoned! Oh, beautiful-oh, beautiful Aphrodite!"

Bewildered, I flew to the ottoman, and endeavored to arouse the sleeper to a sense of the startling intelligence. But his limbs were rigid-his lips were livid-his lately beaming eyes were riveted in death. death. I staggered back toward the table-my hand fell upon a cracked and blackened goblet-and a consciousness of the entire and terrible truth flashed suddenly over my soul. I staggered back toward the table-my hand fell upon a cracked and blackened goblet-and a consciousness of the entire and terrible truth flashed suddenly over my soul.

Shadow-A Parable Yea! though I walk through the valley of the Shadow. Shadow.

-Psalm of David

YE WHO READ ARE still among the living; but I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows. For indeed strange things shall happen, and secret things be known, and many centuries shall pa.s.s away, ere these memorials be seen of men. And, when seen, there will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt, and yet a few who will find much to ponder upon in the characters here graven with a stylus of iron.

The year had been a year of terror, and of feelings more intense than terror for which there is no name upon the earth. For many prodigies and signs had taken place, and far and wide, over sea and land, the black wings of the Pestilence were spread abroad. To those, nevertheless, cunning in the stars, it was not unknown that the heavens wore an aspect of ill; and to me, the Greek Oinos,cg among others, it was evident that now had arrived the alternation of that seven hundred and ninety-fourth year when, at the entrance of Aries, the planet Jupiter is conjoined with the red ring of the terrible Saturnus. among others, it was evident that now had arrived the alternation of that seven hundred and ninety-fourth year when, at the entrance of Aries, the planet Jupiter is conjoined with the red ring of the terrible Saturnus.ch The peculiar spirit of the skies, if I mistake not greatly, made itself manifest, not only in the physical orb of the earth, but in the souls, imaginations, and meditations of mankind. The peculiar spirit of the skies, if I mistake not greatly, made itself manifest, not only in the physical orb of the earth, but in the souls, imaginations, and meditations of mankind.

Over some flasks of the red Chian wine, within the walls of a n.o.ble hall, in a dim city called Ptolemais, we sat, at night, a company of seven. And to our chamber there was no entrance save by a lofty door of bra.s.s: and the door was fas.h.i.+oned by the artisan Corinnos, and, being of rare workmans.h.i.+p, was fastened from within. Black draperies, likewise, in the gloomy room, shut out from our view the moon, the lurid stars, and the peopleless streets-but the boding and the memory of Evil, they would not be so excluded. There were things around us and about of which I can render no distinct account-things material and spiritual-heaviness in the atmosphere-a sense of suffocation-anxiety-and, above all, that terrible state of existence which the nervous experience when the senses are keenly living and awake, and meanwhile the powers of thought lie dormant. A dead weight hung upon us. It hung upon our limbs-upon the household furniture-upon the goblets from which we drank; and all things were depressed, and borne down thereby-all things save only the flames of the seven iron lamps which illumined our revel. Uprearing themselves in tall slender lines of light, they thus remained burning all pallid and motionless; and in the mirror which their l.u.s.tre formed upon the round table of ebony at which we sat, each of us there a.s.sembled beheld the pallor of his own countenance, and the unquiet glare in the downcast eyes of his companions. Yet we laughed and were merry in our proper way-which was hysterical; and sang the songs of Anacreonci-which are madness; and drank deeply-although the purple wine reminded us of blood. For there was yet another tenant of our chamber in the person of young Zoilus.cj Dead, and at full length he lay, enshrouded;-the genius and the demon of the scene. Alas! he bore no portion in our mirth, save that his countenance, distorted with the plague, and his eyes, in which Death had but half extinguished the fire of the pestilence, seemed to take such interest in our merriment as the dead may haply take in the merriment of those who are to die. But although I, Oinos, felt that the eyes of the departed were upon me, still I forced myself not to perceive the bitterness of their expression, and, gazing down steadily into the depths of the ebony mirror, sang with a loud and sonorous voice the songs of the son of Teios. But gradually my songs they ceased, and their echoes, rolling afar off among the sable draperies of the chamber, became weak, and undistinguishable, and so faded away. And lo! from among those sable draperies where the sounds of the song departed, there came forth a dark and undefined shadow-a shadow such as the moon, when low in heaven, might fas.h.i.+on from the figure of a man: but it was the shadow neither of man nor of G.o.d, nor of any familiar thing. And quivering awhile among the draperies of the room, it at length rested in full view upon the surface of the door of bra.s.s. But the shadow was vague, and formless, and indefinite, and was the shadow neither of man nor G.o.d-neither G.o.d of Greece, nor G.o.d of Chaldaea, Dead, and at full length he lay, enshrouded;-the genius and the demon of the scene. Alas! he bore no portion in our mirth, save that his countenance, distorted with the plague, and his eyes, in which Death had but half extinguished the fire of the pestilence, seemed to take such interest in our merriment as the dead may haply take in the merriment of those who are to die. But although I, Oinos, felt that the eyes of the departed were upon me, still I forced myself not to perceive the bitterness of their expression, and, gazing down steadily into the depths of the ebony mirror, sang with a loud and sonorous voice the songs of the son of Teios. But gradually my songs they ceased, and their echoes, rolling afar off among the sable draperies of the chamber, became weak, and undistinguishable, and so faded away. And lo! from among those sable draperies where the sounds of the song departed, there came forth a dark and undefined shadow-a shadow such as the moon, when low in heaven, might fas.h.i.+on from the figure of a man: but it was the shadow neither of man nor of G.o.d, nor of any familiar thing. And quivering awhile among the draperies of the room, it at length rested in full view upon the surface of the door of bra.s.s. But the shadow was vague, and formless, and indefinite, and was the shadow neither of man nor G.o.d-neither G.o.d of Greece, nor G.o.d of Chaldaea,ck nor any Egyptian G.o.d. And the shadow rested upon the brazen doorway, and under the arch of the entablature of the door, and moved not, nor spoke any word, but there became stationary and remained. And the door whereupon the shadow rested was, if I remember aright, over against the feet of the young Zoilus enshrouded. But we, the seven there a.s.sembled, having seen the shadow as it came out from among the draperies, dared not steadily behold it, but cast down our eyes, and gazed continually into the depths of the mirror of ebony. And at length I, Oinos, speaking some low words, demanded of the shadow its dwelling and its appellation. And the shadow answered, "I am SHADOW, and my dwelling is near to the Catacombs of Ptolemais, and hard by those dim plains of Helusion nor any Egyptian G.o.d. And the shadow rested upon the brazen doorway, and under the arch of the entablature of the door, and moved not, nor spoke any word, but there became stationary and remained. And the door whereupon the shadow rested was, if I remember aright, over against the feet of the young Zoilus enshrouded. But we, the seven there a.s.sembled, having seen the shadow as it came out from among the draperies, dared not steadily behold it, but cast down our eyes, and gazed continually into the depths of the mirror of ebony. And at length I, Oinos, speaking some low words, demanded of the shadow its dwelling and its appellation. And the shadow answered, "I am SHADOW, and my dwelling is near to the Catacombs of Ptolemais, and hard by those dim plains of Helusioncl which border upon the foul Charonian ca.n.a.l." And then did we, the seven, start from our seats in horror, and stand trembling, and shuddering, and aghast, for the tones in the voice of the shadow were not the tones of any one being, but of a mult.i.tude of beings, and, varying in their cadences from syllable to syllable, fell duskly upon our ears in the well-remembered and familiar accents of many thousand departed friends. which border upon the foul Charonian ca.n.a.l." And then did we, the seven, start from our seats in horror, and stand trembling, and shuddering, and aghast, for the tones in the voice of the shadow were not the tones of any one being, but of a mult.i.tude of beings, and, varying in their cadences from syllable to syllable, fell duskly upon our ears in the well-remembered and familiar accents of many thousand departed friends.

Silence-A Fable 'E -Alcman

"The mountain pinnacles slumber; valleys, crags, and caves are silent." are silent."cm

"LISTEN TO ME, ME," SAID the Demon, as he placed his hand upon my head. "The region of which I speak is a dreary region in Libya,cn by the borders of the river Zaire, and there is no quiet there, nor silence. by the borders of the river Zaire, and there is no quiet there, nor silence.

"The waters of the river have a saffron and sickly hue; and they flow not onward to the sea, but palpitate forever and forever beneath the red eye of the sun with a tumultuous and convulsive motion. For many miles on either side of the river's oozy bed is a pale desert of gigantic water-lilies. They sigh one unto the other in that solitude, and stretch toward the heavens their long and ghastly necks, and nod to and fro their everlasting heads. And there is an indistinct murmur which cometh out from among them like the rus.h.i.+ng of subterrene water. And they sigh one unto the other.

"But there is a boundary to their realm-the boundary of the dark, horrible, lofty forest. There, like the waves about the Hebrides,co the low underwood is agitated continually. But there is no wind throughout the heaven. And the tall primeval trees rock eternally hither and thither with a cras.h.i.+ng and mighty sound. And from their high summits, one by one, drop everlasting dews. And at the roots strange poisonous flowers lie writhing in perturbed slumber. And overhead, with a rustling and loud noise, the gray clouds rush westwardly forever, until they roll, a cataract, over the fiery wall of the horizon. But there is no wind throughout the heaven. And by the sh.o.r.es of the river Zaire there is neither quiet nor silence. the low underwood is agitated continually. But there is no wind throughout the heaven. And the tall primeval trees rock eternally hither and thither with a cras.h.i.+ng and mighty sound. And from their high summits, one by one, drop everlasting dews. And at the roots strange poisonous flowers lie writhing in perturbed slumber. And overhead, with a rustling and loud noise, the gray clouds rush westwardly forever, until they roll, a cataract, over the fiery wall of the horizon. But there is no wind throughout the heaven. And by the sh.o.r.es of the river Zaire there is neither quiet nor silence.

"It was night, and the rain fell; and, falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood. And I stood in the mora.s.s among the tall lilies, and the rain fell upon my head-and the lilies sighed one unto the other in the solemnity of their desolation.

"And, all at once, the moon arose through the thin ghastly mist, and was crimson in color. And mine eyes fell upon a huge gray rock which stood by the sh.o.r.e of the river, and was lighted by the light of the moon. And the rock was gray, and ghastly, and tall,-and the rock was gray. Upon its front were characters engraven in the stone; and I walked through the mora.s.s of water-lilies, until I came close unto the sh.o.r.e, that I might read the characters upon the stone. But I could not decipher them. And I was going back into the mora.s.s, when the moon shone with a fuller red, and I turned and looked again upon the rock, and upon the characters; and the characters were DESOLATION.

"And I looked upward, and there stood a man upon the summit of the rock; and I hid myself among the water-lilies that I might discover the actions of the man. And the man was tall and stately in form, and was wrapped up from his shoulders to his feet in the toga of old Rome. And the outlines of his figure were indistinct-but his features were the features of a deity; for the mantle of the night, and of the mist, and of the moon, and of the dew, had left uncovered the features of his face. And his brow was lofty with thought, and his eye wild with care; and in the few furrows upon his cheek I read the fables of sorrow, and weariness, and disgust with mankind, and a longing after solitude.

"And the man sat upon the rock, and leaned his head upon his hand, and looked out upon the desolation. He looked down into the low unquiet shrubbery, and up into the tall primeval trees, and up higher at the rustling heaven, and into the crimson moon. And I lay close within shelter of the lilies, and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the solitude;-but the night waned, and he sat upon the rock.

"And the man turned his attention from the heaven, and looked out upon the dreary river Zaire, and upon the yellow ghastly waters, and upon the pale legions of the water-lilies. And the man listened to the sighs of the water-lilies, and to the murmur that came up from among them. And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the solitude;-but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.

"Then I went down into the recesses of the mora.s.s and waded afar in among the wilderness of lilies, and called upon the hippopotami which dwelt among the fens in the recesses of the mora.s.s. And the hippopotami heard my call, and came, with the behemoth, unto the foot of the rock, and roared loudly and fearfully beneath the moon. And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the solitude;-but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.

"Then I cursed the elements with the curse of tumult; and a frightful tempest gathered in the heaven, where, before, there had been no wind. And the heaven became livid with the violence of the tempest-and the rain beat upon the head of the man-and the floods of the river came down-and the river was tormented into foam-and the water-lilies shrieked within their beds-and the forest crumbled before the wind-and the thunder rolled-and the lightning fell-and the rock rocked to its foundation. And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the solitude;-but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.

"Then I grew angry and cursed, with the curse of silence, silence, the river, and the lilies, and the wind, and the forest, and the heaven, and the thunder, and the sighs of the water-lilies. And they became accursed, and the river, and the lilies, and the wind, and the forest, and the heaven, and the thunder, and the sighs of the water-lilies. And they became accursed, and were still. were still. And the moon ceased to totter up its pathway to heaven-and the thunder died away-and the lightning did not flash-and the clouds hung motionless-and the waters sunk to their level and remained-and the trees ceased to rock-and the water-lilies sighed no more-and the murmur was heard no longer from among them, nor any shadow of sound throughout the vast illimitable desert. And I looked upon the characters of the rock, and they were changed; and the characters were SILENCE. And the moon ceased to totter up its pathway to heaven-and the thunder died away-and the lightning did not flash-and the clouds hung motionless-and the waters sunk to their level and remained-and the trees ceased to rock-and the water-lilies sighed no more-and the murmur was heard no longer from among them, nor any shadow of sound throughout the vast illimitable desert. And I looked upon the characters of the rock, and they were changed; and the characters were SILENCE.

"And mine eyes fell upon the countenance of the man, and his countenance was wan with terror. And, hurriedly, he raised his head from his hand, and stood forth upon the rock and listened. But there was no voice throughout the vast illimitable desert, and the characters upon the rock were SILENCE. And the man shuddered, and turned his face away, and fled afar off, in haste, so that I beheld him no more."

Now there are fine tales in the volumes of the Magicp-in the iron-bound, melancholy volumes of the Magi. Therein, I say, are glorious histories of the Heaven, and of the Earth, and of the mighty sea-and of the Geniicq that overruled the sea, and the earth, and the lofty heaven. There was much lore too in the sayings which were said by the Sibyls; and holy, holy things were heard of old by the dim leaves that trembled around Dodona that overruled the sea, and the earth, and the lofty heaven. There was much lore too in the sayings which were said by the Sibyls; and holy, holy things were heard of old by the dim leaves that trembled around Dodonacr-but, as Allah liveth, that fable which the demon told me as he sat by my side in the shadow of the tomb, I hold to be the most wonderful of all! And as the Demon made an end of his story, he fell back within the cavity of the tomb and laughed. And I could not laugh with the Demon, and he cursed me because I could not laugh. And the lynx which dwelleth forever in the tomb, came out therefrom, and lay down at the feet of the Demon, and looked at him steadily in the face.

Berenice Dicebant mihi sodales, si sepulchrum amicae visitarem, curas meas aliquantulum fore levatas.

-Ebn Zaiatcs

MISERY IS MANIFOLD. THE wretchedness of earth is multiform. Overreaching the wide horizon as the rainbow, its hues are as various as the hues of that arch-as distinct too, yet as intimately blended. Overreaching the wide horizon as the rainbow! How is it that from beauty I have derived a type of unloveliness?-from the covenant of peace, a simile of sorrow? But, as in ethics, evil is a consequence of good, so, in fact, out of joy is sorrow born. Either the memory of past bliss is the anguish of to-day, or the agonies which are, are, have their origin in the ecstasies which have their origin in the ecstasies which might have been. might have been.

My baptismal name is Egaeus; that of my family I will not mention. Yet there are no towers in the land more time-honored than my gloomy, gray, hereditary halls. Our line has been called a race of visionaries; and in many striking particulars-in the character of the family mansion-in the frescos of the chief saloon-in the tapestries of the dormitories-in the chiselling of some b.u.t.tresses in the armory-but more especially in the gallery of antique paintings-in the fas.h.i.+on of the library chamber-and, lastly, in the very peculiar nature of the library's contents-there is more than sufficient evidence to warrant the belief.

The recollections of my earliest years are connected with that chamber, and with its volumes-of which latter I will say no more. Here died my mother. Herein was I born. But it is mere idleness to say that I had not lived before-that the soul has no previous existence. You deny it?-let us not argue the matter. Convinced myself, I seek not to convince. There is, however, a remembrance of aerial forms-of spiritual and meaning eyes-of sounds, musical yet sad; a remembrance which will not be excluded; a memory like a shadow-vague, variable, indefinite, unsteady; and like a shadow, too, in the impossibility of my getting rid of it while the sunlight of my reason shall exist.

In that chamber was I born. Thus awakening from the long night of what seemed, but was not, nonent.i.ty, at once into the very regions of fairy land-into a palace of imagination-into the wild dominions of monastic thought and erudition-it is not singular that I gazed around me with a startled and ardent eye-that I loitered away my boyhood in books, and dissipated my youth in revery; but it is is singular, that as years rolled away, and the noon of manhood found me still in the mansion of my fathers-it singular, that as years rolled away, and the noon of manhood found me still in the mansion of my fathers-it is is wonderful what a stagnation there fell upon the springs of my life-wonderful how total an inversion took place in the character of my commonest thought. The realities of the world affected me as visions, and as visions only, while the wild ideas of the land of dreams became, in turn, not the material of my every-day existence, but in very deed that existence utterly and solely in itself. wonderful what a stagnation there fell upon the springs of my life-wonderful how total an inversion took place in the character of my commonest thought. The realities of the world affected me as visions, and as visions only, while the wild ideas of the land of dreams became, in turn, not the material of my every-day existence, but in very deed that existence utterly and solely in itself.

Berenice and I were cousins, and we grew up together in my paternal halls. Yet differently we grew-I, ill of health, and buried in gloom-she, agile, graceful, and overflowing with energy; hers the ramble on the hillside-mine, the studies of the cloister; I, living within my own heart, and addicted, body and soul, to the most intense and painful meditation-she, roaming carelessly through life, with no thought of the shadows in her path, or the silent flight of the raven-winged hours. Berenice!-I call upon her name-Berenice!-and from the gray ruins of memory a thousand tumultuous recollections are startled at the sound! Ah, vividly is her image before me now, as in the early days of her light-heartedness and joy! Oh, gorgeous yet fantastic beauty! Oh, sylph amid the shrubberies of Arnheim!ct Oh, Naiad Oh, Naiadcu among its fountains! And then-then all is mystery and terror, and a tale which should not be told. Disease-a fatal disease, fell like the simoon upon her frame; and even, while I gazed upon her, the spirit of change swept over her, pervading her mind, her habits, and her character, and, in a manner the most subtle and terrible, disturbing even the ident.i.ty of her person! Alas! the destroyer came and went!-and the victim-where is she? I knew her not-or knew her no longer as Berenice! among its fountains! And then-then all is mystery and terror, and a tale which should not be told. Disease-a fatal disease, fell like the simoon upon her frame; and even, while I gazed upon her, the spirit of change swept over her, pervading her mind, her habits, and her character, and, in a manner the most subtle and terrible, disturbing even the ident.i.ty of her person! Alas! the destroyer came and went!-and the victim-where is she? I knew her not-or knew her no longer as Berenice!

Among the numerous train of maladies superinduced by that fatal and primary one which effected a revolution of so horrible a kind in the moral and physical being of my cousin, may be mentioned as the most distressing and obstinate in its nature, a species of epilepsy not unfrequently terminating in trance trance itself-trance very nearly resembling positive dissolution, and from which her manner of recovery was, in most instances, startingly abrupt. In the meantime, my own disease-for I have been told that I should call it by no other appellation-my own disease, then, grew rapidly upon me, and a.s.sumed finally a monomaniac character of a novel and extraordinary form-hourly and momently gaining vigor-and at length obtaining over me the most incomprehensible ascendency. This monomania, if I must so term it, consisted in a morbid irritability of those properties of the mind in metaphysical science termed the itself-trance very nearly resembling positive dissolution, and from which her manner of recovery was, in most instances, startingly abrupt. In the meantime, my own disease-for I have been told that I should call it by no other appellation-my own disease, then, grew rapidly upon me, and a.s.sumed finally a monomaniac character of a novel and extraordinary form-hourly and momently gaining vigor-and at length obtaining over me the most incomprehensible ascendency. This monomania, if I must so term it, consisted in a morbid irritability of those properties of the mind in metaphysical science termed the attentive. attentive. It is more than probable that I am not understood; but I fear, indeed, that it is in no manner possible to convey to the mind of the merely general reader, an adequate idea of that nervous It is more than probable that I am not understood; but I fear, indeed, that it is in no manner possible to convey to the mind of the merely general reader, an adequate idea of that nervous intensity of interest intensity of interest with which, in my case, the powers of meditation (not to speak technically) busied and buried themselves, in the contemplation of even the most ordinary objects of the universe. with which, in my case, the powers of meditation (not to speak technically) busied and buried themselves, in the contemplation of even the most ordinary objects of the universe.

To muse for long unwearied hours, with my attention riveted to some frivolous device on the margin or in the typography of a book; to become absorbed, for the better part of a summer's day, in a quaint shadow falling aslant upon the tapestry or upon the floor; to lose myself, for an entire night, in watching the steady flame of a lamp, or the embers of a fire; to dream away whole days over the perfume of a flower; to repeat, monotonously, some common word, until the sound, by dint of frequent repet.i.tion, ceased to convey any idea whatever to the mind; to lose all sense of motion or physical existence, by means of absolute bodily quiescence long and obstinately persevered in: such were a few of the most common and least pernicious vagaries induced by a condition of the mental faculties, not, indeed, altogether unparalleled, but certainly bidding defiance to any thing like a.n.a.lysis or explanation.

Yet let me not be misapprehended. The undue, earnest, and morbid attention thus excited by objects in their own nature frivolous, must not be confounded in character with that ruminating propensity common to all mankind, and more especially indulged in by persons of ardent imagination. It was not even, as might be at first supposed, an extreme condition, or exaggeration of such propensity, but primarily and essentially distinct and different. In the one instance, the dreamer, or enthusiast, being interested by an object usually not frivolous, imperceptibly loses sight of this object in a wilderness of deductions and suggestions issuing therefrom, until, at the conclusion of a day-dream often replete with luxury, often replete with luxury, he finds the he finds the incitamentum, incitamentum, or first cause of his musings, entirely vanished and forgotten. In my case, the primary object was or first cause of his musings, entirely vanished and forgotten. In my case, the primary object was invariably frivolous, invariably frivolous, although a.s.suming, through the medium of my distempered vision, a refracted and unreal importance. Few deductions, if any, were made; and those few pertinaciously returning in upon the original object as a centre. The meditations were never pleasurable; and at the termination of the revery, the first cause, so far from being out of sight, had attained that super-naturally exaggerated interest which was the prevailing feature of the disease. In a word, the powers of mind more particularly exercised were, with me, as I have said before, the although a.s.suming, through the medium of my distempered vision, a refracted and unreal importance. Few deductions, if any, were made; and those few pertinaciously returning in upon the original object as a centre. The meditations were never pleasurable; and at the termination of the revery, the first cause, so far from being out of sight, had attained that super-naturally exaggerated interest which was the prevailing feature of the disease. In a word, the powers of mind more particularly exercised were, with me, as I have said before, the attentive, attentive, and are, with the day-dreamer, the and are, with the day-dreamer, the speculative. speculative.

My books, at this epoch, if they did not actually serve to irritate the disorder, partook, it will be perceived, largely, in their imaginative and inconsequential nature, of the characteristic qualities of the disorder itself. I well remember, among others, the treatise of the n.o.ble Italian, Clius Secundus Curio, "De Amplitudine Beati Regni Dei"; "De Amplitudine Beati Regni Dei"; St. Austin's great work, "The City of G.o.d"; and Tertullian's St. Austin's great work, "The City of G.o.d"; and Tertullian's "De Carne Christi," "De Carne Christi," in which the paradoxical sentence, in which the paradoxical sentence, "Mortuus est Dei filius; credibile est quia ineptum est; et sepultus resurrexit; certum est quia impossible est," "Mortuus est Dei filius; credibile est quia ineptum est; et sepultus resurrexit; certum est quia impossible est," occupied my undivided time, for many weeks of laborious and fruitless investigation. occupied my undivided time, for many weeks of laborious and fruitless investigation.6 Thus it will appear that, shaken from its balance only by trivial things, my reason bore resemblance to that ocean-crag spoken of by Ptolemy Hephestion,cv which steadily resisting the attacks of human violence, and the fiercer fury of the waters and the winds, trembled only to the touch of the flower called Asphodel. which steadily resisting the attacks of human violence, and the fiercer fury of the waters and the winds, trembled only to the touch of the flower called Asphodel.cw And although, to a careless thinker, it might appear a matter beyond doubt, that the alteration produced by her unhappy malady, in the And although, to a careless thinker, it might appear a matter beyond doubt, that the alteration produced by her unhappy malady, in the moral moral condition of Berenice, would afford me many objects for the exe