XX. That elder leader's calm reply Oft succour dawns from heaven. For if a hope of safety rest, If not-it best beseems our worth, XXI. The helm, to his strong arm consign'd, Fierce-bounding, forward sprung the ship, Those lightnings of the wave; (9) With elvish lustre lave, While, far behind, their livid light It seems as if old Ocean shakes In envious pageantry, To match the meteor light that streaks XXII. Nor lack'd they steadier light to keep Their course upon the darken'd deep;Artornish, on her frowning steep, 'Twixt cloud and ocean hung, Glanced with a thousand lights of glee, And landward far, and far to sea, Her festal radiance flung. By that blithe beacon-light they steer'd, Whose lustre mingled well With the pale beam that now appear'd, As the cold moon her head uprear'd Above the eastern fell. XXIII. Thus guided, on their course they bore, By peasants heard from cliffs on high, Now nearer yet, through mist and storm, And deepen'd shadow made, Far lengthen'd on the main below, Where, dancing in reflected glow, An hundred torches play'd, Spangling the wave with lights as vain As pleasures in this vale of pain, That dazzle as they fade. XXIV. Beneath the castle's sheltering lee, So straight, so high, so steep, From turret, rock, and bay, Fear'd lest, amidst these wildering seas, XXV. << Warder,» the younger stranger said, Until the break of day; For, to ourselves, the deck's rude plank That's breathed upon by May; Whence come, or whither bound? Or Scotland's mountain ground?»- To harbour safe, and friendly cheer, XXVI. «Bold stranger, no-gainst claim like thine, Be what ye will, Artornish Hall On this glad eve is free to all. Though ye And, comrades, gaze not on the maid, A damsel tired of midnight bark, His brother, as the clansman bent Made brief and stern excuse ;«Vassal, were thine the cloak of pall That decks thy lord in bridal hall, 'T were honour'd by her use.» XXX. Proud was his tone, but calm; his eye His mien that bearing haught and high, And gazed like startled deer. The Island Chieftain feasted high; Like distant sounds which dreamers hear. And call for pledge and lay, And, for brief space, of all the crowd, III. Yet nought amiss the bridal throng IV. She watch'd-yet fear'd to meet his glance, And he shunn'd her's;-till when by chance They met, the point of foeman's lance Had given a milder pang! Beneath the intolerable smart He writhed;-then sternly mann'd his heart To play his hard but destined part, And from the table sprang. « Fill me the mighty cup!» he said, V. << Let it pass round!» quoth he of Lorn, «And in good time-that winded horn Must of the abbot tell; The laggard monk is come at last.»- The untasted goblet fell. But when the warder in his ear Tells other news, his blither cheer Returns like sun of May, When through a thunder- cloud it beams;Lord of two hundred isles, he seems As glad of brief delay, As some poor criminal might feel, VI. « Brother of Lorn,» with hurried voice He said, and you, fair lords, rejoice! Here, to augment our glee, Ho! give them at your board such place And bid them welcome free!»- Of these strange guests; (3) and well he knew How to assign their rank its due; For, though the costly furs That erst had deck'd their caps were torn, And soil'd their gilded spurs, Yet such a high commanding grace And royal canopy; And there he marshall'd them their place, First of that company. VII. Then lords and ladies spake aside, « For forty years a seneschal, VIII. « I, too, the aged Ferrand said, « Am qualified by minstrel trade Glancing among the noble rout Like being of superior kind, In whose high-toned impartial mind The mantle veil both face and eye, IX. Suspicious doubt and lordly scorn Then question'd, high and brief, If, in their voyage, aught they knew Of the rebellious Scottish crew, With Carrick's outlaw'd chief? (4) That X. younger stranger, fierce and high, Ere thrice three days shall come and go, Kindled the mountain chieftain's ire, To chase the night with Ferrand's rhyme, Then whisper'd Argentine,- To these bold strangers' haughty heart, If right this guess of mine.>>He ceased, and it was silence all, Until the minstrel waked the hall. XI. THE BROACH OF LORN. (5) As, through night's pale rainbow gleaming, Fitful shines the northern star? «Gem, ne'er wrought on Highland mountain, Did the fairy of the fountain, «Vain was then the Douglas brand, << Farthest fled, its former lord XIV. As glares the tiger on his foes, Hemm'd in by hunters, spears, and bows, So Edward glared and grasp'd his sword- room, where he found a lady, newly delivered of an in-Howell in his own house, after the manner he had fant. He was commanded by his attendants to say seene in the French warres, and consumed with fire such prayers by her bed-side as were fitting for a per- his barnes and his out houses. Whilst he was thus asson not expected to survive a mortal disorder. He ven- saulting the hall, which Howell ap Rys and many oth r tured to remonstrate, and observe that her safe delivery people kept, being a very strong house, he was shot warranted better hopes. But he was sternly com- out of a crevice of the house, through the sight of his manded to obey the orders first given, and with diffi- beaver into the head, and slayne out-right, being otherculty recollected himself sufficiently to acquit himself wise armed at all points. Notwithstanding his death, of the task imposed on him. He was then again hur- the assault of the house was continued with great veheried into the chair; but, as they conducted him down mence, the doores fired with great burthens of straw; stairs, he heard the report of a pistol. He was safely besides this, the smoake of the out-houses and barnes' conducted home; a purse of gold was forced upon him; not farre distant annoyed greatly the defendants, for i but he was warned, at the same time, that the least al- that most of them lay under boordes and benches upon lusion to this dark transaction would cost him his life. the floore, in the hall, the better to avoyd the smoake. ! He betook himself to rest, and, after long and broken During this scene of confusion onely the old man, musing, fell into a deep sleep. From this he was Howell ap Rys, never stooped, but stood valiantly in awakened by his servant, with the dismal news, that a the middest of the floore, armed with a gleve in his = fire of uncommon fury had broken out in the house of hand, and called into them, and bid them arise like ****, near the head of the Canongate, and that it was men, for shame, for he had knowne there as greate a totally consumed; with the shocking addition, that the smoke in that hall upon Christmas even.' In the end, daughter of the proprietor, a young lady eminent for seeing the house could no longer defend them, being beauty and accomplishments, had perished in the flames. overlayed with a multitude, upon parley betweene The clergyman had his suspicions, but to have made them, Howell ap Rys was content to yeald himself prithem public would have availed nothing. He was ti-soner to Morris ap John ap Meredith, John ap Meredith's | mid; the family was of the first distinction; above eldest sonne, soe as he would swear unto him to brug all, the deed was done, and could not be amended. him safe to Carnarvon Castle, to abide the triall of uk | Time wore away, however, and with it his terrors. He law for the death of Graff ap John ap Grouw, who was ¦ became unhappy at being the solitary depositary of this cosen-german removed to the said Howell ap Rys, and fearful mystery, and mentioned it to some of his bre- of the very same house he was of. Which MorTIS thren, through whom the anecdote acquired a sort of ap John ap Meredith undertaking, did put a guard publicity. The divine, however, had been long dead, and about the said Howell of his trustiest friends and serthe story in some degree forgotten, when a fire broke vants, who kept and defended him from the rage of his out again on the very same spot where the house of **** kindred, and especially of Owen ap John ap Meredith, had formerly stood, and which was now occupied by his brother, who was very eager against him. buildings of an inferior description. When the flames passed by leisure thence like a campe to Carnarvon, were at their height, the tumult, which usually attends the whole countrie being assembled, Howell his friends such a scene, was suddenly suspended by an unex- posted a horseback from one place or other by the pected apparition. A beautiful female, in a night-way, who brought word that he was come thither safe, dress, extremely rich, but at least half a century old, for they were in great fear lest he should be murthered, i appeared in the very midst of the fire, and uttered and that Morris ap John ap Meredith could not be able these tremendous words in her vernacular idiom: to defend him, neither durst any of Howell's friends be «< Anes burned; twice burned; the third time I'll scare there, for fear of the kindred. In the end, being dehyou all!» The belief in this story was formerly so vered by Morris ap Jolin ap Meredith to the constabie strong, that on a fire breaking out, and seeming to ap- of Carnarvon Castle, and there kept safely in ward unproach the fatal spot, there was a good deal of anxiety til the assises, it fell out by law that the burning of testified lest the apparition should make good her de-Howell's houses, and assaulting him in his owne house, was a more haynous offence in Morris ap John ap Meredith and the rest, than the death of Graff ap Jolia ap Gronw in Howell, who did it in his own defence. whereupon Morris ap John ар Meredith, with thirty-tive more, were indicted of felony, as appeareth by the copie of the indictment, which I had from the records » Sir JOHN WYNNE'S History of the Gwydir Family, Lond. 1770, 8vo. p. 116. nunciation. Note 11. Stanza xxxiii. As thick a smoke these hearths have given Such an exhortation was, in similar circumstances, actually given to his followers by a Welch chieftain: Enmity did continue betweene Howell ap Rys ap Howell Vaughan and the sonnes of John ap Meredith. After the death of Evan ap Robert, Griffith ap Gronw (cozen-german to John ap Meredith's sonnes of Gwynfryn, who had long served in France and had charge there), comeing home to live in the countrey, it happened that a servant of his, comeing to fish in Stymllyn, his fish was taken away, and the fellow beaten by Howell ap Rys his servants, and by his commandment. Griffith John Grow took the matter in such dudgeon that he challenged Howell ap Rys to the field, which he refusing, assembling his cosins John ap Meredith's sonnes and his friends together, assaulted ap ap CANTO VI. Note 1. Stanza xxi. O'er Hexham's altar bung my glove They This custom among the Redesdale and Tynedale ber derers is mentioned in the interesting life of Bn ! Gilpin, where some account is given of these wild dis |