libly bring him back again to the same place without any trouble. Alexander thought the advice so good, that he would not take any other person with him in that journey but those two brothers, leaving the rest of his retinue at the entrance of the cave. He advanced so far that he came to a gate, so well polished, that notwithstanding the great darkness, it gave light enough to let him see there was a bird fastened thereto. The bird asked Alexander what he would have? he made answer that he looked for the Water of immortality. The bird asked him, what was done in the world? Mischief enough, replies Alexander, since there is no vice or sin but reigns there. Whereupon the bird getting loose and flying away, the gate opened and Alexander saw an Angel sitting, with a trumpet in his hand, holding it as if he were going to put it to his mouth. Alexander asked him his name. The Angel made answer his name was Raphael, and that he only staid for a command from God to blow the trumpet, and to call the dead to judgement. Which having said, he asks Alexander who he was? I am Alexander, replied he, and I seek the Water of immortality. The Angel gave him a stone and said to him, go thy wayes, and look for another stone of the same weight with this, and then thou shalt find immortality. Whereupon Alexander asked how long he had to live? The Angel said to him, till such time as the heaven and the earth which encompass thee be turned to iron. Alexander being come out of the cave, sought a long time, and not meeting with any stone just of the same weight with the other, he put one into the balance which he thought came very near it, and finding but very little difference, he added thereto a little earth, which made the scales even ; it being God's intention to shew Alexander thereby, that he was not to expect immortality till he himself were put into the earth. At last Alexander having one day a fall off his horse in the barren ground of Ghur, they laid him upon the coat he wore over his armour, and covered him with his buckler to keep off the heat of the sun. Then he began to comprehend the prophecy of the Angel, and was satisfied the hour of his death was at hand; accordingly he died. They add to this fable, that the two brothers Chidder and Elias drunk of the water of immortality, and that they are still living but invisible, Elias upon the earth and Chidder in the water; wherein the latter hath so great power, that those who are in danger of being destroyed by water, if they earnestly pray, vowing an offering to him, and firmly believing that he can relieve them, shall escape the danger. Ambassador's Travels. Khidir and Elias occupy a distinguished place in the legion of prophets. The name of the first signifies verdant, alluding to the power which he possessed of producing, wherever he trod, the most beautiful and enchanting verdure. These two are regarded as the protectors and tutelary gods of travellers; the former upon the sea, the latter upon the land; and they are thought to be incessantly employed in promoting these salutary objects. In their rapid and uniform courses, they are believed to meet once a year at Mina, in the environs of Mecca, the day on which the pilgrims are assembled. D' Ohsson's History of the Othoman Empire. Page 99. 1. 363.—The swords that late flash'd to the evening sun. Now does the day grow blacker than before, The swords that glistered late, in purple gore And again, Book 7. The glittering swords that shone so bright of late Page 100. line 379. Of blessed Mary vowed a vow of peace. Il advint a luy et a toute sa gent, estant devant Chartres, qui moult humilia et brise son courage; car entendis que ces traicteurs François alloient et preschoient ledit roy et son conseil, et encores nulle response agreable nen avoient eue. Une orage une tempeste et une fouldre si grande et si horrible descendit du ciel en lost du roy Dangleterre quil sembloit proprement que le siecle deust finer, Car il cheoit si grosses pierres que elles tuoyent hommes et chevaulx, et en furent les plus hardis tous esbahis. Adoncques regarda le roy Dangleterre devers leglise de Nostre Dame de Chartres, et se voua et rendit devotement a Nostre Dame, et promist, et confessa sicomme il dist depuis quil se accorderoit a la paix. Froissart. But while he lodged there (before Chartres), his army making a horrible spoile of the whole country, there chanced an occasion, as the work of Heaven, which suddenly quailed his ambitious design to ruin France: for behold a horrible and extraordinary tempest of haile, thunder, and lightning, fell with such violence as many horses and men in the army perished, as if that God had stretched forth his hand from heaven to stay his course. — De Serres. Page 103. 1. 461.-Deep thro' the sky the hollow thunders roll'd. The circumstance of the Maid's entering Orleans at midnight in a storm of thunder and lightning is historically true. "The Englishmen perceiving that thei within could not long continue for faute of vitaile and pouder, kepte not their watche so diligently as thei wer accustomed, nor scoured not the countrey environed as thei before had ordained. Whiche negligence the citezens shut in perceiving, sent worde therof to the French capitaines, which with Pucelle in the dedde tyme of the nighte, and in a greate rayne and thundre, with all their vitaile and artilery entered into the citie." Shakespear also notices this storm. stance is, Chapelain has omitted it. Hall, ff. 127. Striking as the circum Page 105. B. vii. 1. Strong were the English forts. The patience and perseverance of a besieging army in those ages appear almost incredible to us now. The camp of Ferdinand before Granada swelled into a city. Edward III. Imade a market town before Calais. Upon the captain's refusal to surrender, says Barnes, "he began to entrench himself strongly about the city, setting his own tent directly against the chief gates at which he intended to enter; then he placed bastions between the town and the river, and set out regular streets, and reared up decent buildings of strong timber between the trenches, which he covered with thatch, reed, broom and skins. Thus he encompassed the whole town of Calais, from Risban on the northwest side to Courgaine on the northeast, all along by Sangate, at Port and Fort de Nicolay, commonly by the English called Newlandbridge, down by Hammes, Cologne and Marke; so that his camp looked like a spacious city, and was usually by strangers, that came thither to market, called New Calais. For this prince's reputation for justice was so great, that to his markets (which he held in his camp twice every week, viz. on Tuesdays and Saturdays for flesh, fish, bread, wine and ale, with cloth and all other necessaries), there came not only his friends and allies from England, Flanders and Aquitain, but even many of king Philip's subjects and confederates conveyed thither their cattle and other commodities to be sold." Page 105. line 21.- Entering with his eye. Page 106. line 40. — Defiled and unrepair'd. Sicut erant, clypeos; nec quisquam spicula tersit, Statius. Ipsam, Manaliâ puerum cum vidit in umbrâ, Ignovisse ferunt comiti, Dictaaque tela tædet nemorum, titulumque nocentem. Sanguinis humani pudor est nescire sagittas. Statius, IV. 256. Page 109. line 120. - Gladdisdale. Gladdisdale must be the sir William Glansdale of ShakesStowe calls him William Gladesdale. pear. It is proper to remark that I have introduced no fictitious names among the killed. They may all be found in the various histories. Neque enim solis excussa lacertis Lancea, sed tenso balista turbine rapta, Haud unum contenta latus transire, quiescit; Lucan. III. Vegetius says, that the balista discharged darts with such rapidity and violence, that nothing could resist their force. This engine was used particularly to discharge darts of a surprising length and weight, and often many small ones together. Its form was not unlike that of a broken bow; it had two arms, but strait and not curve like those of a cross-bow, of which the whole acting force consists in bending the bow. That of the balista as well as of the catapulta, lies in its cords. Rollin. Page 109. line 132. Where by the bayle's embattled wall. The bayle or lists was a space on the outside of the ditch, surrounded by strong pallisades, and sometimes by a low embattled wall. In the attack of fortresses, as the range of the machines then in use did not exceed the distance of four stadia, the besiegers did not carry on their approaches by means of trenches, but begun their operations above ground, with the |