Amid the rich variety which the poet has left us, it is difficult to choose, but opening the book at random we select

THE HYMN OF PAN,

From the forests and highlands
We come, we come;

From the river-girt islands,

Where loud waves are dumb,

Listening to my sweet pipings.

The wind in the reeds and the rushes,
The bees on the bells of thyme,
The birds on the myrtle bushes,

The cicale above in the line,

And the lizards below in the grass,

Were as silent as ever old Tmolus was,
Listening to my sweet pipings.

Liquid Peneus was flowing,

And all dark Tempe lay

In Pelion's shadow, outgrowing

The light of the dying day,

Speeded by my sweet pipings.

The Sileni, and Sylvans, and Fauns,

And the Nymphs of the woods and waves,

To the edge of the moist river-lawns,

And the brink of the dewy caves,

And all that did then attend and follow

Were silent with love, as you now, Apollo,
With envy of my sweet pipings.

I sang of the dancing stars,

I sang of the dædal Earth,

And of Heaven-and the giant wars,
And Love, and Death, and Birth,—
And then I changed my pipings,-
Singing how down the vale of Menalus
I pursued a maiden and clasped a reed;
Gods and men, we are all deluded thus!

It breaks in our bosom and then we bleed:
All wept, as I think both ye now would,
Ifenvy or age had not frozen your blood,

At the sorrow of my sweet pipings.

THE GRIDIRON.

A certain old gentleman in the west of Ireland, whose love of the ridiculous quite equalled his taste for claret and fox-hunting, was wont upon certain festive occasions, when opportunity offered, to amuse his friends by drawing out one of his servants, who was exceedingly fond of what he termed his thravels,' and in whom, a good deal of whim, some queer stories, and perhaps, more than all, long and faithful services, had established a right of loquacity. He was one of those few trusty and privileged domestics, who, if his master unheedingly uttered a rash thing in a fit of passion, would venture to set him right. If the squire said, I'll turn that rascal off,' my friend Pat would say, 'troth you won't, sir;' and Pat was always right, for if any altercation arose upon the subject matter in hand,' he was sure to throw in some good reason, either from former service-general good conduct-or the delinquent's wife and childher,' that always turned the scale.

But I am digressing; on such merry meetings as I have alluded to, the master, after making certain approaches,' as a military man would say, as the preparatory steps in laying siege to some extravaganza of his servant, might, perchance, assail Pat thus: By-the-by, Sir John (addressing a distinguished guest) Pat has a very curious story, which something you told me to-day reminds me of. You remember, Pat (turning to the man, evidently pleased at the notice thus paid to himself,) you remember that queer adventure you had in France.'

Throth I do sir,' grins forth Pat.

'

"What!' exclaims Sir John, in feigned surprise, was Pat ever in France?'

'Indeed he was,' cries mine host; and Pat adds,—'Ay, and farther, plaze your honor.'

I assure you, Sir John,' continues my host, 'Pat told me a story once that surprised me very much, respecting the ignorance of the French.'

'Indeed!' rejoins the baronet; Really, I always supposed the French to be a most accomplished people.'

'Throth, then, they're not, sir,' interrupts Pat.

6 Oh, by no means,' adds mine host, shaking his head emphatically. 'I believe, Pat, 'twas when you were crossing the Atlantic?' says the master, turning to Pat with a seductive air, and leading into the 'full and true account' (for Pat had thought fit to visit North Amerikay, for a rason he had,' in the autumn of the year ninety-eight.)

Yes, sir,' says Pat, 'the broad Atlantic,' a favorite phrase of his, which he gave with a brogue as broad, almost as the Atlantic itself. 'It was the time I was lost in crassin' the broad Atlantic, a comin' home,' began Pat, decoyed into the recital; when the winds began to blow, and the sae to rowl, that you'd think the Colleen dhas (that was her name) would not have a mast left but what would rowl out of her. 'Well, sure enough, the masts went by the boord, at last, and the pumps were choak'd (divil choak them for that same,) and av coorse the wather gained on us, and throth, to be filled with wather is neither good for man or baste; and she was sinkin' fast, settlin' down, as the sailors call it, and faith I never was good at settlin' down in my life, and I liked it then less nor ever; accordingly we prepared for the worst, and

put out the boat, and got a sack o' bishkits, and a cashk o' pork, and a kag o' wather, and a thrifle o' rum aboord, and any other little matthers we could think iv in the mortial hurry we wor in-and faith there was no time to be lost, for my darlint, the Colleen dhas went down like a lump o' lead, afore we wor many sthrokes o' the oar away from her.

'Well, we dhrifted away all that night, and next mornin' we put up a blanket an the ind av a pole as well as we could, and then we saild iligant, for we darn't show a stitch o' canvass the night before, bekase it was blowin' like bloody murther, savin' your presence, and sure it's the wondher o'the world we worn't swally'd alive by the ragin' sae.

'Well, away we wint, for more nor a week, and nothin' before our two good-lookin' eyes but the canopy iv heaven, and the wide oceanthe broad Atlantic-not a thing was to be seen but the sae and the sky; and though the sae and the sky is mighty purty things in themselves, throth they're no great things when you've nothin' else to look at for a week together and the barest rock in the world, so it was land, would be more welkim, And then, soon enough throth, our provisions began to run low, the bishkits and the wather, and the rum-throth that was gone first of all-God help uz-and, oh! it was thin that starvation began to stare us in the face" Oh, murther, murther, captain darlint," says I, "I wish we could see land any where," says 1.

"More power to your elbow, Paddy, my hoy," says he, "for sitch a good wish, and throth it's myself wishes the same.

"Oh," says I," that it may plaze you, sweet queen iv heaven, supposing it was only a dissolute island," says I, "inhabited wid Turks, sure they wouldn't be such bad Christians as to refuse us a bit and a sup.

"Whisht, whisht, Paddy," says the captain, "don't be talking bad of any one," says he; "you don't know how soon you may want a good word put in for yourself, if you should be called to quarters in th' other world all of a suddint," says he.

"Thrue for you, captain darlint," says I-I called him darlint, and made free wid him, you see, bekase disthress makes uz all equal—“thrue for you, captain jewel-God betune uz and harm, I owe no man any spite," and throth that was only thruth. Well, the last bishkit was served out, and by gor the wather itself was all gone at last, and we passed the night mighty cowld-well, at the brake o'day the sun riz most beautiful out o' the waves, that was as bright as silver and as clear as cryshthal. But it was only the more cruel upon us, for we wor beginnin' to feel terrible hungry; when all at wanst I thought I spied the land-by gor I thought I felt my heart up in my throat in a minnit, and "thunder an turf, captain," says I, "look to leeward," says I.

"What for?" says he.

"I think I see the land," says I. So he ups with his bring-'m-near— (that's what the sailors call a spy-glass, sir), and looks out, and, sure enough, it was.

"Hurra;" says he, "we're all right now; pull away, my boys," says he. "Take care you're not mistaken," bank, captain darlint," says I.

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says I;

may-be it's only a fog

Oh, no," says he, "it's the land in airnest." "Oh, then, whereabouts in the wide world are we captain?" says 1, "maybe it id be in Roosia, Proosia, or the Garmant Oceant," says I. "Tut, you fool," says he-for he had that consaited way wid him—

thinkin' himself cleverer nor any one else "tut, you fool," says he, "that's France," says he.

"Tare an ouns," says 1, "do you tell me so? and how do you know it's France it is, captain dear?" says 1.

"Bekase this is the Bay o' Bishky we're in now," says he.

""Throth I was thinkin' so myself," says I, "by the rowl it has; for I often heerd av it in regard o' that same;" and throth the likes av it I never seen before nor since, and, with the help o' God, never will."

'Well, with that my heart began to grow light, and when I seen my life was safe, I began to grow twice hungrier nor ever-so, says I, "Captain jewel, I wish we had a gridiron."

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"Why then," says he, "thunder and turf,” says he, "what puts a gridiron into your head?"

6.66 Bekase I'm starvin' with the hunger," says I.

And sure, bad luck to you," says he, "you couldn't ate a gridiron," says he, "barrin' you wor a pelican o' the wilderness," says he.

"Ate a gridiron !" says 1; " och, in throth I'm not sich a gommoch all out as that, any how. But sure, if we had a gridiron, we could dress a beef-steak," says I.

"Arrah; but where's the beaf-steak?" says he.

"Sure, couldn't we cut a slice aff the pork," says I.
"Be gor, I never thought o' that," says the captain.

clever fellow, Paddy," says he, laughin'.

"Oh, there's many a thrue word said in joke," says I. "Thrue for you, Paddy," says he.

"You're a

"Well, then," says I, "if you put me ashore there beyant' (for we were nearin' the land all the time,)" and sure I can ax them for to lind me the loan of a gridiron," says I.

"Oh, by gor, the butther's comin' out o' the stirabout in airnist now," says he, "you gommoch," says he, "sure I towld you before that's France and sure they're all furriners* there," says the captain.

"Well," says I," and how do you know but I'm as good a furriner myself as any o' thim."

"What do you mane?" says he.

"I mane," says I" what I towld you, that I'm as good a furriner myself as any o' thim."

"Make me sinsible," says he.

"By dad, may be that's more nor me, or greater nor me could do," says I, and we all began to laugh at him, for I thought I'd pay him off for his bit o' consait about the Garmant Oceant.

"Lave aff your humbuggin," says he, "I bid you, and tell me what it is you mane, at all at all."

Parley voo frong say," says I.

"Oh, your humble sarvant," says he; "why by gor, your a scholar, Paddy."

"Throth, you may say that," says I.

"Why you're a clever fellow, Paddy," says the captain, jerin' like. "You're not the first that said that," says I, "whether you joke or

no."

← “ Oh, but I'm in airnest," says the captain; "and do you tell me, Paddy," says he, "that you spake Frinch?”

Parley voo frongsay," says I.

"By gor, that bangs Banagher, and all the world knows that Banagher bangs the divil. I never met the likes o' you Paddy," says he : "pull away boys, and put Paddy ashore, and maybe we won't get a good bellyful beforelong."

So with that, it was no sooner said nor done: they pulled away, and got close into shore in less than no time, and run the boat up in a little creek, and a beautiful creek it was, with a lovely white sthrand-an iligant place for ladies to bathe in the summer; and out I got-and its stiff enough in my limbs I was, after bein' cramp'd up in the boat, and perished with the cowld and hunger; but I conthrived to scramble on, one way or other, tow'rds a little bit iv a wood that was close to the shore, and the smoke curlin' out of it, quite timptin' like.

"By the powdhers o' war, I'm all right," says I; "there's a house there;" and sure enough there was, and a parcel of men, women, and childer, ating their dinner round a table, quite convaynient. And so I wint up to the door, and I thought I'd be very civil to them, as I heerd the Frinch was always mighty p'lite intirely; and I thought I'd show them I knew what good manners was.

'So I took aff my hat, and making a low bow, says I, "God save all here," says I.

'Well, to be sure, they all stopt ating at wanst, and begun to stare at me; and, faith, they almost look'd me out o' countenance; and I thought to myself it was not good manners at all-more betoken from furriners, which they call so mighty p'lite; but I never minded that, in regard o' wantin' the gridiron; and so says 1, "I beg your pardon," says I, “ for the liberty I take, but it's only bein' in disthress in regard of ating," says I, "that I make bowld to trouble yez, and if you could lind me the loan of a gridiron," says I, "I'd be intirely obleeged to ye."

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By gor, they all stared at me twice worse nor before; and with that, says I (knowin' what was in their minds,) " Indeed, it's thrue for you," says I. "I'm tatthered to pieces, and God knows I look quare enough; but it's by raison of the storin," says I, "which dhruv us ashore here below, and we're all starvin'," says I.

'So then they began to look at each other agin; and myself, seeing at wanst dirty thoughts was in their heads, and that they took me for a poor beggar, coming to crave charity-with that, says I, "Oh! not at all," says I, "by no manes, we have plenty o' mate ourselves, there below, and we'll dhress it," says I, "if you would be plased to lind us the loan of a gridiron," says I, makiu' a low bow.

"Well, sir, with that, throth they stared at me twice worse nor ever; and, faith, I began to think that may be the captain was wrong, and that it was not France at all at all; and so says I, "I beg pardon sir,” says I, to a fine ould man, with a head of hair as white as silver," maybe I'm undher a mistake," says I; "but I thought I was in France, sir; an't you furriners?" says I; "Parly voo frongsay?"

"We munseer," says he.

"Then would you lind me the loan of a gridiron," says I, "if you plase?"

Oh, it was thin that they stared at me as if I had siven heads; and faith, myself began to feel flusthered like, and onaisy-and so says I, makin' a bow and scrape agin, "I know it's a liberty I take, sir," says I. "but it's only in the regard of bein' cast away, and if you plase, sir," says I, Parly voo frongsay?"

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"We, munseer,'' says he, mighty sharp.