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Blesses each voice, whate'er its tone may be,
That serves to swell the general harmony.1

Such was the spirit, grandly, gently bright,
That fill'd, O Fox! thy peaceful soul with light.
While blandly spreading like that orb of air
Which folds our planet in its circling care,
The mighty sphere of thy transparent mind
Embraced the world, and breathed for all mankind.
Last of the great, farewell!-yet not the last-
Though Britain's sunshine hour with thee be past,
Ierne still one gleam of glory gives,

And feels but half thy loss while Grattan lives.

APPENDIX.

The following is part of a Preface which was intended by a friend and countryman of mine for a collection of Irish airs, to which he has adapted English words. As it has never been published, and is not inapplicable to my subject, I shall take the liberty of subjoining it here.

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Our history, for many centuries past, is creditable neither to our neighbours nor ourselves, and ought not to be read by any Irishman who wishes either to love England or to feel proud of Ireland. The loss of independence very early debased our character; and our feuds and rebellions, though frequent and ferocious, but seldom displayed that generous spirit of enterprise with which the pride of an independent monarchy so long dignified the struggles of Scotland. It is true this island has given birth to heroes who, under more favourable circumstances, might have left in the hearts of their countrymen recollections as dear as those of a Bruce or a Wallace; but success was wanting to consecrate resistance, their cause was branded with the disheartening name of treason, and their oppressed country was such a blank among nations, that, like the adventures of those woods which Rinaldo wished to explore, the fame

1 "La tolérance est la chose du monde la plus propre à ramener le siècle d'or, et à faire un concert et une harmonie de plusieurs voix et instruments de différents tous et notes, aussi agréable pour le moins que l'uniformité d'une seule voix."-Bayle, Commentaire Philosophique, &c., part ii. chap. vi. Both Bayle and Locke would have treated the subject of Toleration in a manner much more worthy of themselves and of the cause, if they had written in an age less distracted by religious prejudices.

of their actions was lost in the obscurity of the place where they achieved them.

Errando in quelli boschi

Trovar potria strane avventure e molte,

Ma come i luoghi i fatti ancor son foschi,
Che non se n'ha notizia le più volte.1

Hence is it that the annals of Ireland, through a lapse of six hundred years, exhibit not one of those shining names, not one of those themes of national pride, from which poetry borrows her noblest inspiration; and that history, which ought to be the richest garden of the Muse, yields nothing to her but weeds and cypress. In truth, the poet who would embellish his songs with allusions to Irish names and events, must be contented to seek them in those early periods when our character was yet unalloyed and original, before the impolitic craft of our conquerors had divided, weakened, and disgraced us; and the only traits of heroism, indeed, which he can venture at this day to commemorate, with safety to himself, or perhaps with honour to his country, are to be looked for in those times when the native monarchs of Ireland displayed and fostered virtues worthy of a better age; when our Malachies wore collars of gold which they had won in single combat from the invader,2 and our Briens deserved the blessings of a people by all the most estimable qualities of a king. It may be said, indeed, that the magic of tradition has shed a charm over this remote period, to which it is in reality but little entitled, and that most of the pictures, which we dwell on so fondly, of days when this island was distinguished amidst the gloom of Europe, by the sanctity of her morals, the spirit of her knighthood, and the polish of her schools, are little more than the inventions of national partiality, that bright but spurious offspring which vanity engenders upon ignorance, and with which the first records of every people abound. But the sceptic is scarcely to be envied who would pause for stronger proofs than we already possess of the early glories of Ireland; and were even the veracity of all these proofs surrendered, yet who would not fly to such flattering fictions from the sad degrading truths which the history of later times presents to us?

The language of sorrow, however, is, in general, best suited to our Music, and with themes of this nature the poet may be amply supplied. There is not a page of our annals which cannot afford him a subject, and while the national Muse of other countries adorns her temple with

1 Ariosto, canto iv.

2 See Warner's History of Ireland, vol. i. book ix.

trophies of the past, in Ireland her altar, like the shrine of Pity at Athens, is to be known only by the tears that are shed upon it; "lacrymis altaria sudant."1

There is a well-known story, related of the Antiochians under the reign of Theodosius, which is not only honourable to the powers of music in general, but which applies so peculiarly to the mournful melodies of Ireland, that I cannot resist the temptation of introducing it here. The piety of Theodosius would have been admirable, if it had not been stained with intolerance; but his reign, I believe, affords the first example of a disqualifying penal code enacted by Christians against Christians. Whether his interference with the religion of the Antiochians had any share in the alienation of their loyalty is not expressly ascertained by historians; but severe edicts, heavy taxation, and the rapacity and insolence of the men whom he sent to govern them, sufficiently account for the discontents of a warm and susceptible people. Repentance soon followed the crimes into which their impatience had hurried them; but the vengeance of the Emperor was implacable, and punishments of the most dreadful nature hung over the city of Antioch, whose devoted inhabitants, totally resigned to despondence, wandered through the streets and public assemblies, giving utterance to their grief in dirges of the most touching lamentation. At length, Flavianus, their bishop, whom they had sent to intercede with Theodosius, finding all his entreaties coldly rejected, adopted the expedient of teaching these songs of sorrow which he had heard from the lips of his unfortunate countrymen to the minstrels who performed for the Emperor at table. The heart of Theodosius could not resist this appeal; tears fell fast into his cup while he listened, and the Antiochians were forgiven. Surely, if music ever spoke the misfortunes of a people, or could ever conciliate forgiveness for their errors, the music of Ireland ought to possess those powers.

1 Statins, Thebaid. lib. xii.

2 "A sort of civil excommunication," says Gibbon, "which separated them from their fellow-citizens by a peculiar brand of infamy; and this declaration of the supreme magistrate tended to justify, or at least to excuse, the insults of a fanatic populace. The sectaries were gradually disqualified for the possession of honourable or lucrative employments, and Theodosins was satisfied with his own justice when he decreed, that, as the Eunomians distinguished the nature of the Son from that of the Father, they should be incapable of making their wills, or of receiving any advantage from testamentary donations."

NOTES TO LALLA ROOKH.

Page 278.

These particulars of the visit of the King of Bucharia to Aurangzebe are found in Dow's History of Hindostan, vol. iii. p. 392.

Page 278.
"Leila."

The mistress of Mejnoun, upon whose story so many romances, in all the languages of the East, are founded.

Page 278. "Shirine."

For the loves of this celebrated beauty with Khosrou and with Ferhad, vide D'Herbelot, Gibbon, Oriental Collections, &c.

Page 278. "Dewildé."

"The history of the loves of Dewilde and Chizer, the son of the Emperor Alla, is written in an elegant poem, by the noble Chusero."Ferishta.

Page 279.

"Those insignia of the Emperor's favour," &c.

"One mark of honour or knighthood bestowed by the Emperor is the permission to wear a small kettle-drum at the bows of their saddles, which at first was invented for the training of hawks, and to call them to the lure, and is worn in the field by all sportsmen to that end."-Fryer's Travels.

"Those on whom the King has conferred the privilege must wear an ornament of jewels on the right side of the turban, surmounted by a high plume of the feathers of a kind of egret. This bird is found only in Cashmeer, and the feathers are carefully collected for the King, who bestows them on his nobles."-Elphinstone's Account of Caubul.

Page 279.
"Keder Khan," &c.

"Khedar Khan, the Khakan, or King, of Turquestan beyond the Gihon (at the end of the eleventh century), whenever he appeared abroad was preceded by seven hundred horsemen with silver battleaxes, and was followed by an equal number bearing maces of gold.

He was a great patron of poetry, and it was he who used to preside at public exercises of genius, with four basins of gold and silver by him to distribute among the poets who excelled."-Richardson's Dissertation, prefixed to his Dictionary.

Page 279.

"The gilt pine-apples," &c.

"The kubdeh, a large golden knob, generally in the shape of a pine-apple, on the top of the canopy over the litter or palanquin.”— Scott's Notes on the Bahardanush.

Page 279.

"The rose-coloured veils of the Princess's litter."

In the poem of Zohair, in the Moallakat, there is the following lively description of "a company of maidens seated on camels :"

"They are mounted in carriages covered with costly awnings, and with rose-coloured veils, the linings of which have the hue of crimson Andem-wood.

"When they ascend from the bosom of the vale, they sit forward on the saddle-cloths, with every mark of a voluptuous gaiety.

"Now, when they have reached the brink of yon blue gushing rivulet, they fix the poles of their tents like the Arab with a settled mansion."

Page 279.

"A young female slave sat fanning her," &c.

See Bernier's description of the attendants on Rauchanara-Begum in her progress to Cashmere.

Pages 279-80.

"Religion, of which Aurungzebe was a munificent protector."

This hypocritical Emperor would have made a worthy associate of certain Holy Leagues:-"He held the cloak of religion (says Dow) between his actions and the vulgar; and impiously thanked the Divinity for a success which he owed to his own wickedness. When he was murdering and persecuting his brothers and their families, he was building a magnificent mosque at Delhi, as an offering to God for his assistance to him in the civil wars. He acted as high-priest at the consecration of this temple; and made a practice of attending divine service there, in the humble dress of a Fakeer. But when he lifted one hand to the Divinity, he, with the other, signed warrants for the assassination of his relations."-History of Hindostan, vol. iii. p. 33. See also the curious letter of Aurungzebe, given in the Oriental Collections, vol. i. p. 320.

Page 280.

"The diamond eyes of the idol," &c.

No gold

"The idol at Jaghernat has two fine diamonds for eyes. smith is suffered to enter the Pagoda, one having stole one of these eyes, being locked up all night with the idol."-Tavernier.

Page 280.

Gardens of Delhi.

See a description of these royal gardens in "An Account of the Present State of Delhi, by Lieut. W. Franklin."-Asiatic Researches, vol. iv. p. 417.

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