Kitabı oku: «The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 10, No. 273, September 15, 1827», sayfa 2

The above adventure is one very commonly reported of the late Marquis of Londonderry; and is given on the authority of a gentleman, to whom that nobleman himself related it.—The Album.

THE CROSS ROADS

(For the Mirror.)

 
Methought upon a mountain's brow
Stood Glory, gazing round him;
And in the silent vale below
Lay Love, where Fancy found him;
While distant o'er the yellow plain
Glittering Wealth held wide domain.
 
 
Glory was robed in light; and trod
A brilliant track before him,
He gazed with ardour, like a god,
And grasp'd at heaven o'er him;
The meteor's flash his beaming eye,
The trumpet's shriek his melody.
 
 
But Love was robed in roses sweet,
And zephyrs murmur'd nigh him,
Flowers were blooming at his feet,
And birds were warbling by him:
His eyes soft radiance seem'd to wear,
For tears and smiles were blended there.
 
 
Gay Wealth a gorgeous train display'd.
(And Fancy soon espied him,)
Supine, in splendid garb array'd,
With Luxury beside him;
He dwelt beneath a lofty dome,
Which Pride and Pleasure made their home.
 
 
Well; seeking Happiness, I sped,
And, as Hope hover'd o'er me,
I ask'd which way the nymph had fled,
For four roads met before me—
Whether she'd climb'd the height above,
Or bask'd with Wealth, or slept with Love?
 
 
I paus'd—for in the lonely path,
'Neath gloomy willows weeping,
Wrapt in his shroud of sullen wrath,
The Suicide was sleeping,
A scathed yew-tree's wither'd limb,
To mark the spot, frown'd o'er him.
 
 
I wept—to think my fellow-man,
(To madness often driven,)
Pursue false Glory's phantoms, then
Lose happiness and heaven:
I wept—for oh! it seem'd to be
A mournful moral meant for me!
 
 
But lo! an aged traveller came,
By Wisdom sent to guide me,
Experience was the pilgrim's name,
And thus he seem'd to chide me—
"Fool! Happiness is gone the road
That leads to Virtue's calm abode!"
 

JESSE HAMMOND

MY COMMON-PLACE BOOK

NO. XXI.
ORDEALS

Four kinds of ordeals were chiefly used by our German ancestors:—1. "The Kamp fight," or combat; during which the spectators were to be silent and quiet, on pain of losing an arm or leg; an executioner with a sharp axe. 2. "The fire ordeal," in which the accused might clear his innocence by holding red-hot iron in his hands, or by walking blind-fold amidst fiery ploughshares. 3. "The hot-water ordeal," much of the nature as the last. 4. "The cold-water ordeal:" this need not be explained, since it is looked on as supreme when a witch is in question. The cross ordeal was reserved for the clergy. These, if accused, might prove their innocence by swallowing two consecrated morsels taken from the altar after proper prayers. If these fragments stuck in the priest's throat he stood ipse facto—condemned; but we have no record of condemnation.

GEMS

Forgive not the man who gives you bad wine more than once. It is more than an injury. Cut the acquaintance as you value your life.

If you see half-a-dozen faults in a woman, you may rest assured she has a hundred virtues to counterbalance them. I love your faulty, and fear your faultless women. When you see what is termed a faultless woman, dread her as you would a beautiful snake. The power of completely concealing the defects that she must have, is of itself a serious vice.

If you find no more books in a man's room, save some four or five, including the red-book and the general almanac, you may set down the individual as a man of genius, or an ass;—there is no medium.

The eye is never to be mistaken. A person may discipline the muscles of the face and voice, but there is a something in the eye beyond the will, and we thus frequently find it giving the tongue the lie direct.

I never knew a truly estimable man offer a finger, it is ever a sign of a cold heart; and he who is heartless is positively worthless, though he may be negatively harmless.

Cut the acquaintance of any lady who signs a letter with "yours obediently."

Always act in the presence of children with the utmost circumspection. They mark all you do, and most of them are more wise than you may imagine.

Men of genius make the most ductile husbands. A fool has too much opinion of his own dear self, and too little of women's to be easily governed.

A passion for sweetmeats, and a weak intellect, generally go together.

I have known many fools to be gluttons, but never knew one that was an epicure.

The affection of women is the most wonderful thing in the world; it tires not—faints not—dreads not—cools not. It is like the Naptha that nothing can extinguish but the trampling foot of death.

There is a language in flowers, which is very eloquent—a philosophy that is instructive. Nature appears to have made them as emblems of women. The timid snow-drop, the modest violet, the languid primrose, the coy lily, the flaunting tulip, the smart marigold, the lowly blushing daisy, the proud foxglove, the deadly nightshade, the sleepy poppy, and the sweet solitary eglantine, are all types.

W.C. B– M

There are a set of malicious, prating, prudent gossips, both male and female, who murder characters to kill time; and will rob a young fellow of his good name before he has years to know the value of it.—Sheridan.

MANNERS & CUSTOMS OF ALL NATIONS

No. XII.
A BURMESE EXECUTION

The scene took place at Rangoon, and the sufferers were men of desperate characters, who merited death. At a short distance from the town, on the road known to the army by the name of the Forty-first Lines, is a small open space, which formerly was railed in: and here all criminals used to be executed. On this occasion several gibbets, about the height of a man, were erected, and a large crowd of Burmans assembled to feast their eyes on the sanguinary scene that was to follow.

When the criminals arrived, they were tied within wooden frames, with extended arms and legs, and the head-executioner going round to each, marked with a piece of chalk, on the side of the men, in what direction his assistant (who stood behind him with a sharpened knife,) was to make the incision. On one man he described a circle on the side; another had a straight line marked down the centre of his stomach; a third was doomed to some other mode of death; and some were favoured by being decapitated. These preparations being completed, the assistant approached the man marked with a circle, and seizing a knife, plunged it up to the hilt in his side, then slowly and deliberately turning it round, he finished the circle! The poor wretch rolled his eyes in inexpressible agony, groaned, and soon after expired; thus depriving these human fiends of the satisfaction his prolonged torments would have afforded them. The rest suffered in the same manner; and, from the specimens I have seen of mangled corpses, I do not think this account overdrawn. Hanging is a punishment that seldom, if ever, takes place.

The manner in which slighter punishments are made is peculiar to the Burmans, and, as nearly as I can make it out, according to our pronunciation, is called "toung." The delinquent is obliged to kneel down, and a man stands over him with a bent elbow and clenched fist. He first rapidly strikes him on the head with his elbow, and then slides it down until his knuckles repeat the blow, the elbow at the same time giving a violent smack on the shoulders. This is repeated until it becomes a very severe punishment, which may be carried to great excess.—Two Years in Ava.

RETROSPECTIVE GLEANINGS

BILL OF FARE AT AN ANCIENT INSTALMENT

The following is a true copy of the original lodged in the Tower of London:²—

George Nevil, brother to the great Earl of Warwick, at his instalment into his archbishopric of York, in the year 1470, made a feast for the nobility, gentry, and clergy, wherein he spent:

300 quartrs of wheat 300 ton of ale 104 ton of wine 1 pipe of spic'd w. 80 fat oxen 6 wild bulls 300 pigs 1004 wethers 300 hogs 300 calves 3000 geese 3000 capons 100 peacocks 200 cranes 200 kids 2000 chickens 4000 pidgeons 4000 rabitts 204 bitterns 4000 ducks 400 hernsies 200 pheasants 500 partridges 4000 woodcocks 400 plovers 100 carlews 100 quails 1000 eggets 200 rees 4000 bucks and does, and roebucks 155 hot venison pasties 1000 dishes of jellies 4000 cold venison past 2000 hot custards 4000 ditto cold 400 tarts 300 pikes 300 breams 8 seals 4 porpusses

At this feast the Earl of Warwick was steward; the Earl of Bedford treasurer; the Lord Hastings comptroller, with many noble officers servitors.

1000 cooks. 62 kitchiners. 515 scullions.

THE SERGEANT'S WIFE

A drama, named as above, has been played with eminent success during the present season at the English Opera House. The plot is founded on the following horrible occurrence, which actually took place in Ireland in the year 1813, and which we extract from the columns of an Irish paper of the same date. The narrative is powerfully worked up in The Nowlans, in the second series of the O'Hara Tales, and Mr. Banim is the author both of the novel and the drama:—

"The speech of George Smith, William Smith, and James Smith, who were lately executed at Longford for the murder of James Reilly, a pedlar, near Lanes-borough, has been published. It gives the following description of the inhuman crime for which they suffered:

"The discovery of this murder, as decreed by the Almighty, was made by Margaret Armstrong, the wife of Sergeant Armstrong, of the 27th regiment of foot, on the recruiting service in Athlone. She was going to her husband, when she was overtaken by this dealing man. He asked her how far she was going—she answered to Athlone, to her husband, and said as it was getting late, and being scarce of money, she would make good her way that night. He then replied, 'my poor woman, let not that hurry you, I am going to Athlone myself, and there is a lodging at the next cross at which I mean to stop, be advised, and go no farther to-night, and I will pay your expenses.' When they came to the house, he asked for a bed for himself and another for the woman, and called for supper; when that was over, he paid the bill, and taking out his pocket-book, he counted 150l. which he gave in charge to George Smith, and retired to bed; the woman likewise went to her's, the family sat up till twelve; after which, when the man was fast asleep and all was silent, we, (the three Smiths) went into the room where the man lay; we dragged him out of bed, and cut his throat from ear to ear; we saved his blood in a pewter dish, and put the body into a flaxseed barrel, among feathers, in which we covered it up. Take care, and do the same with the woman, said our mother. We accordingly went to her bedside, and saw her hands extended out of the bed; we held a candle to her eyes, but she did not stir during the whole time, as God was on her side; for had we supposed that she had seen the murder committed by us, she would have shared the same fate with the deceased man. Next morning when she arose, she asked was the man up? We made answer, that he was gone two hours before, left sixpence for her, and took her bundle with him. 'No matter,' said she, 'for I will see him in Athlone.' When she went away, I (George Smith) dressed myself in my sister's clothes, and having crossed the fields, met her, I asked her how far she was going? She said to Athlone: I then asked her where she lodged? She told me at one Smith's, a very decent house, where she met very good entertainment. 'That house bears a bad name,' said I. 'I have not that to say of them,' said she, 'for they gave me good usage.' It was not long until we saw a sergeant and two recruits coming up the road; upon which she cried out, 'here is my husband coming to meet me; he knew I was coming to him.' I immediately turned off the road, and made back to the house. When she met her husband, she fainted; and on recovering, she told him of the murder, and how she escaped with her life. The husband went immediately and got guards, and had us taken prisoners; the house was searched, and the mangled body found in the barrel." The three monsters were, it is mentioned, ordered for execution from the dock.