Edicam; sed dicendis ne tædia repant,
Hic locus, hæc eadem, de quâ cantabitur, arbor
Dat tempestivam blandis afflatibus umbram :
Hic una sedeamus; et ambo fontis ad undam
Consedere; dehinc intermittente parumper
Concentu volucrum, placido sic incipit ore.

Nomine Canaria, de quâ tenet Insula nomen
Virgo fuit, non ore minus, quam prædita rare
Laude pudicitiæ, mirum quæ pectore votum
Clausit, ut esse eadem genitrix et Virgo cupiret.
At quia in Urbe satam fuerat sortita parentem
Ortum rure Patrem, diversis moribus huusit
Hinc sylva austeros, teneros hinc Urbis amores.
Sæpe ubi visendi studio convenerat Urbes,
Et dare blanditias natis et sumere matres
Viderat ante fores, ut mater amavit amari.
Sæpe ubi rure fuit de nymphis una Dianæ,
Viderat atque Deam thalami consorte carentem,
Esse Dea similis, nec amari ut mater amavit.
Sed quid aget? cernit fieri non posse quod optat;
Non optare tamen, crudelius urit amantem.
Noctis erat medium: quo nos sumus, hoc erat illa
Forte loco, Coloque videns splendescere Lunam,
O Dea, cui triplicis concessa potentia regni,
Parce precor, dixit, si quæ nunc profero, non sum
Ausa prius; quod non posses audire Diana,
Cum sis Luna potes; tenebræ minuere pudorem.
Est mihi Virginitas, fateor, re charior omni,
Attamen, hâc salvâ, fœcundæ si quoque Matris
Nomina miscerem, duplici de nomine quantum
Ambitiosa forem ; certe non parva voluptas
Me caperet, coram si quis me luderet infans
Si mecum gestu, mecum loqueretur ocellis,
Cumque potest, quacumque potest, me voce vocaret,
Cujus et in vultu multum de matre viderem.

Fiat quâ ratione potest; mutare figuram
Nil refert, voti compos si denique fiam.

Annuit oranti facilis Dea; Virgine digna
Et quia vota tulit, Virgo probat. Eligit ergo
De grege Plantarum ligni quæ cœlibis esset.

Visa fuit Platanus: placet hæc; si vertat in istam
Canaria corpus, sibi tempus in omne futuram
Tam caram esse videt, quam sit sua laurea Phœbo.
Nec mora, poscenti munus, ne signa deessent
Certa dati, movit falcatæ cornua frontis.

Virginis extemplo cœpere rigere crura
Tenuia vestiri duro præcordia libro,

Ipsaque miratur, cervix quod eburnea, quantum
It Cœlo, tantum tendant in Tartara planta.
Et jam formosâ de Virgine stabat et Arbos
Non formosa minus; qui toto in corpore pridem
Par ebori fuerat, candor quoque cortice mansit.
Sed deerat conjux uxoris moribus æque
Integer et celebs, et Virginitatis amutor,
Quo fœcunda foret ; verum tellure petendus
Non hic, ab axe fuit. Quare incorruptus et idem

Purior e cunctis stellatæ noctis alumnis

Poscitur Hersophorus, sic Graii nomine dicunt,
Rorem Itali. Quacumque die (quis credere posset?)
Tamquam ex condicto cum Sol altissimus extat,
Sydereus conjux nebula velatus amictu

Labitur huc, niveisque maritam amplectitur alis :
Quodque fidem superat, parvo post tempora fœtum
Concipit, et parvo post tempore parturit arbor.
Molle puerperium vis noscere? Consule fontem,
Qui nos propter adest, in quo mixtura duorum
Agnosci possit, splendet materque paterque.
Læta fovet genitrix, compos jam facta cupiti;
Illius optarat vultu se noscere, noscit;
Cernere ludentem se circum, ludere cernit ;

Illum audire rudi matrem quoque voce vocantem,

Et matrem sese dici dum murmurat, audit.
Nec modo Virginitas fæcunda est arboris, ipsæ
Sunt quoque fœcundæ frondes, quas excutit arbor.
Nam simul ac supra latices cecidere tepentes,
Insuper accessit Phœbei flamma caloris,
Concipiunt, pariuntque: oriturque tenerrimus ales
Nomine Canarius, qui pene exclusus in auras,
Tenuis adhuc, cœlique rudis, crudusque labori
Jam super extantes affectat scandere ramos,
Et frondes, quarum una fuit. Nidum inde sub illis
Collocat adversum Soli, cui pandere pennas
Et siccare queat; latet hic, nullâque magistrâ
Arte cunit, matrisque replet concentibus aures.
Adde quod affectus reddit genitricis eosdem,
Utque puellari genitrix in pectore clausit,
Hinc sylva austeros, teneros hinc Urbis amores,
Sic amat hic sylvas, ut non fastidiat Urbes.
Tecta colit, patiturque hominem, nec divitis aulæ
Grande supercilium metuit sylvestris alumnus.
Imo loco admonitus, vix aulicus incipit esse,
Jam fit adulator, positum proferre paratus
In statione melos, domini quod vellicet aurem.
CARRARA. Columbus.

Lib. iii. pp. 53-57.

Nared.-VII. p. 54.

A very distinguished son of Brahma, named Nared, bears a strong resemblance to Hermes or Mercury; he was a wise legislator, great in arts and in arms, an eloquent messenger of the Gods either to one another, or to favoured mortals, and a musician of exquisite skill, His invention of the Vina, or Indian lute, is thus described in the poem entitled Magha: "Nared sat watching from time to time his large Vina, which, by the impulse of the breeze, yielded notes that pierced successively the regions of his ear, and proceeded by musical

The Vina is an Eolian harp. The people of Amboyna have a different kind of Æolian instrument, which is thus described in the first account of D'Entrecasteaux's Voyage:

66

Being on the sea-shore, I heard some wind-instruments, the harmony of which, though sometimes very correct, was intermixed with discordant notes that were by no means unpleasing. These sounds, which were very musical, and formed fine cadences, seemed to come from such a distance, that I for some time imagined the natives were having a concert beyond the road-stead, near a myriameter from the spot where I stood. My ear was greatly deceived respecting the distance, for I was not an hundred meters from the instrument. It was a bamboo at least twenty meters in height, which had been fixed in a vertical situation by the sea-side. I remarked between each knot a slit about three centimeters long by a centimeter and a half wide; these slits formed so many holes, which, when the wind introduced itself into them, gave agreeable and diversified sounds. As the knots of this long bamboo were very numerous, care had been taken to make holes in different directions, in order that, on whatever side the wind blew, it might always meet with some of them. I cannot convey a better idea of the sound of this instrument, than by comparing them to those of the Harmonica." - LABILLARDIERE. Voyage in Search of

La Perouse.

So great

Nareda, the mythological offspring of Saraswati, patroness of music, is famed for his talents in that science. were they, that he became presumptuous; and emulating the divine strains of Krishna, he was punished by having his Vina placed in the paws of a bear, whence it emitted sounds far sweeter than the minstrelsy of the mortified musician. I have a picture of this joke, in which Krishna is forcing his reluctant friend to attend to his rough-visaged rival, who is ridiculously touching the chords of poor Nareda's Vina, accompanied by a brother Bruin on the cymbals. Krishna passed several practical jokes on his humble and affectionate friend: he metamorphosed him once into a woman, at another time into a bear.MOORE'S Hindu Pantheon, p. 204.

The sacrifice

That should, to men and gods, proclaim him Lord

And Sovereign Master of the vassal World. — VII. p. 57.

The Raisoo Yug, or Feast of Rajahs, could only be performed by a monarch who had conquered all the other sovereigns of the world.-HALHED. Note to the Life of Creeshna,

Sole Rajah, the Omnipotent below. -VII. p. 57.

No person has given so complete a sample of the absurdity of oriental titles as the Dutch traveller Struys, in his enumeration of "the proud and blasphemous titles of the King of Siam, they will hardly bear sense," says the translator, in what he calls, by a happy blunder, "the idiotism of our tongue."

The Alliance, written with letters of fine gold, being full of godlike glory. The most Excellent, containing all wise sciences. The most Happy, which is not in the world among men. The Best and most Certain that is in Heaven, Earth, and Hell. The greatest Sweet, and friendly Royal Word; whose powerful sounding properties and glorious fame range through the world, as if the dead were raised by a godlike power, and wonderfully purged from ghostly and corporal corruption. At this both spiritual and secular men admire with a special joy, whereas no dignity may be herewith compared. Proceeding from a friendly illustrious, inconquerable, most mighty and most high Lord; and a royal Crown of Gold, adorned with nine sorts of precious stones. The greatest,

The

clearest, and most godlike Lord of unblameable Souls. most Holy, seeing every where, and protecting Sovereign of the city JUDIA, whose many streets and open gates are thronged by troops of men, which is the chief metropolis of the whole world, the royal throne of the earth, that is adorned with nine sorts of stones and most pleasant valleys. He who guides the reins of the world, and has a house more than the Gods of fine gold and of precious stones; they the godlike Lords of thrones and of fine gold; the White, Red, and Round-tayl'd Elephants, — which excellent creatures are the