CL.

He saw with his own eyes the moon was round,
Was also certain that the earth was square,
Because he had journey'd fifty miles and found
No sign that it was circular any where.

His empire also was without a bound :

'T is true, a little troubled here and there, By rebel pachas, and encroaching giaours, But then they never came to the "Seven Towers; " CLI.

Except in shape of envoys, who were sent

To lodge there when a war broke out, according To the true law of nations, which ne'er meant

Those scoundrels who have never had a sword in
Their dirty diplomatic hands, to vent

Their spleen in making strife, and safely wording
Their lies, yclept despatches, without risk or
The singeing of a single inky whisker.

CLII.

He had fifty daughters and four dozen sons,
Of whom all such as came of age were stow'd,
The former in a palace, where like nuns

They lived till some bashaw was sent abroad,
When she, whose turn it was, wedded at once,

Sometimes at six years old-though this seems odd, 'Tis true; the reason is, that the bashaw

Must make a present to his sire-in-law.

CLIII.

His sons were kept in prison till they grew
Of years to fill a bowstring or the throne,
One or the other, but which of the two

Could yet be known unto the fates alone;
Meantime the education they went through

Was princely, as the proofs have always shown:

So that the heir apparent still was found

No less deserving to be hang'd than crown'd.

CLIV.

His majesty saluted his fourth spouse

With all the ceremonies of his rank,

Who clear'd her sparkling eyes and smooth'd her brows,
As suits a matron who has play'd' a prank :

These must seem doubly mindful of their vows,
To save the credit of their breaking bank;

To no men are such cordial greetings given
As those whose wives have made them fit for heaven.

CLV.

His highness cast around his great black eyes,
And looking, as he always look'd, perceived
Juan amongst the damsels in disguise,

At which he seem'd no whit surprised, nor grieved, But just remark'd with air sedate and wise,

While still a fluttering sigh Gulbeyaz heaved, "I see you 've bought another girl; 't is pity, That a mere christian should be half so pretty."

CLVI.

This compliment, which drew all eyes upon

The new-bought virgin, made her blush and shake.
Her comrades, also, thought themselves undone :
Oh, Mahomet! that his majesty should take
Such notice of a giaour, while scarce to one
Of them his lips imperial ever spake !

There was a general whisper, toss, and wriggle,
But etiquette forbade them all to giggle.

CLVII.

The Turks do well to shut-at least, sometimes-
The women up-because, in sad reality,
Their chastity in these unhappy climes

Is not a thing of that astringent quality,
Which in the north prevents precarious crimes,
And makes our snow less pure than our morality
The sun, which yearly melts the polar ice,
Has quite the contrary effect on vice.

CLVIII.

Thus in the east they are extremely strict,
And wedlock and a padlock mean the same;
Excepting only when the former 's pick'd

It ne'er can be replaced in proper frame ;
Spoilt, as a pipe of claret is when prick'd:

But then their own polygamy 's to blame; Why don't they knead two virtuous souls for life Into that moral centaur, man and wife?

CLIX.

Thus far our chronicle; and now we pause,
Though not for want of matter; but 't is time,
According to the ancient epic laws,

To slacken sail, and anchor with our rhyme.
Let this fifth canto meet with due applause,

The sixth shall have a touch of the sublime; Meanwhile, as Homer sometimes sleeps, perhaps You'll pardon to my Muse a few short naps.

NOTES TO CANTO V.

Note 1. Stanza iii.

The ocean stream.

This expression of Homer has been much criticised. It hardly answers to our Atlantic ideas of the ocean, but is sufficiently applicable to the Hellespont, and the Bosphorus, with the Ægean intersected with islands.

Note 2. Stanza v.

"The Giant's Grave."

"The Giant's Grave" is a height on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus, much frequented by holiday parties; like Harrow and Highgate.

Note 3. Stanza xxxiii.

And running out as fast as I was able.

The assassination alluded to took place on the eighth of December, 1820, in the streets of Ravenna, not a hundred paces from the residence of the writer. The circumstances were as described.

Note 4. Stanza xxxiv.

Kill'd by five bullets from an old gun-barrel.

There was found close by him an old gun-barrel, sawn half off: it had just been discharged, and was still warm.

Note 5. Stanza liii.

Prepared for supper with a glass of rum.

In Turkey nothing is more common than for the Mussulmans to take several glasses of strong spirits by way of appetizer. I have seen them take as many as six of raki before dinner, and swear that they dined the better for it; I tried the experiment, but fared like the Scotchman, who having heard that the birds called kittiewiaks were admirable whets, ate six of them, and complained that “he was no hungrier than when he began."

Note 6. Stanza Iv.

Splendid but silent, save in one, where, dropping,

A marble fountain echoes.

A common furniture.-I recollect being received by Ali Pacha in a room containing a marble basin and fountain, &c., &c. &c.

Note 7. Stanza lxxxvii.

The gate so splendid was in all its features.

Features of a gate-a ministerial metaphor; "the feature upon which this question hinges."-See the "Fudge Family," or hear Castlereagh.

Note 8, Stanza cvi.

Though on more thorough-bred or fairer fingers.

There is perhaps nothing more distinctive of birth than the hand: it is almost the only sign of blood which aristocracy can generate.

Note 9. Stanza cxlvii.

Save Solyman, the glory of their line.

It may not be unworthy of remark, that Bacon, in his essay on "Empire," hints that Solyman was the last of his line; on what authority, I know not. These are his words: "The destruction of Mustapha was so fatal to Solyman's line, as the succession of the Turks from Solyman, until this day, is suspected to be untrue, and of strange blood; for that Selymus the Second was thought to be supposititious.” But Bacon, in his historical authorities, is often inaccurate. I could give half a dozen instances from his apophthegms only.

grandfather's house, and being somewhat doubtful of the case, signified it to the emperor that he had found such treasure. The emperor made a rescript thus; Use it. He writ back again, that the sum was greater than his state or condition could use. The emperor writ a new rescript, thus; Abuse it.

178.

One of the seven was wont to say, that laws were like cobwebs; where the small flies were caught, and the great brake through.

209.

An orator of Athens said to Demos

emperor Nerva, who deserved that his name should have been stated by the "greatest-wisest-meanest of mankind."

This was said by Anacharsis the Scythian, and not by a Greek.

This was not said by Demosthenes, but

thenes, The Athenians will kill you, if to Demosthenes by Phocion.

they wax mad. Demosthenes replied, And they will kill you, if they be in good

Having stated that Bacon was frequently incorrect in his citations from history, I have thought it necessary in what regards so great a name (however trifling), to support the assertion by such facts as more immediately occur to me. They are but trifles, and yet for such trifles a school-boy would be whipped (if still in the fourth form); and Voltaire for half a dozen similar errors has been treated as a superficial writer, notwithstanding the testimony of the learned Warton.-" Voltaire, a writer of much deeper research than is imagined, and the first who has displayed the literature and customs of the dark ages with any degree of penetration and comprehension."-Dissertation 1st. Warton. For another distinguished testimony to Voltaire's merits in literary research, see also Lord Holland's excellent Account of the Life and Writings of Lope de Vega, vol. 1, page 215, edition of 1817.

Voltaire has even been termed "a shallow fellow," by some of the same school who called Dryden's Ode "a drunken song ;"—a school (as it is called, I presume, from their education being still incomplete) the whole of whose filthy trash of Epics, Ex