Hakeem Biamr Allah suddenly disappeared in the year 1061, probably murdered at the instigation of his sister. It was announced that he had only withdrawn for a season, this fact is worked into the Druse theory of the incarnation, — and it is held he will appear only at the end of the present order of things. (7) on red Mokattam's verge; on the eastern bank of the Nile, near Cairo, is the mountain Kharifa, or Mokattam Jebel, which was red with the rising sun when Hakeem disappeared. (9) Christian Prefect that enslaved us; it is not historical that the Druses settled on "an islet of the Southern Sporades," as Browning says. His whole plot in this respect is purely an invention, for their religion has never been established outside the Lebanon, Egypt, and Arabia, although isolated believers migrated. The Druses were not under the oppressive rule of the Knights of Rhodes in the fifteenth century or at any other time.

98:6, the Druse Nation, warders on our Mount of the world's secret; the Druse faith is compounded of all the religions of western Asia, is very tolerant in its spirit, and embraces all great teachers in its system of incarnations. Yet its followers hold that it is the only true faith, of which others are but imperfect expressions; its mysteries are strictly guarded, and known only to the initiated leaders. All other religions prepare for this, but the highest spiritual truths it alone possesses. The following seven commandments are observed by all the followers of the Druse faith: "i. The unity of God, or the infinite oneness of Deity. ii. The essential excellence of truth. iii. The law of toleration as to all men and women in opinion. iv. Respect for all men and women as to character and conduct. v. Entire submission to God's decrees as to faith. vi. Chastity of body, mind, and soul. vii. Mutual help under all conditions." (24) yon eight-point cross of white flame; Knights of Rhodes wore a white cross of eight points on black ground, known as Rhodian cross, and before had used a plain white on red ground.

99:37, Osman, Othman I., founder of Turkish Empire in 1331.

100: 22, a race self-vowed to endless warfare, Knights of Rhodes or St. John, who were pledged to combat Moslem. (30) Sheiks able to thwart, those of the Druses, who were capable as warriors, as well as in intellectual pursuits.

101: 2, Patriarch, ecclesiastical official next in rank to pope, at head of churches of a large territory, or those speaking same language. (15) Nuncio, ambassador from pope to king or emperor. (21) Hospitallers, order of knights who built hospital at Jerusalem in 1042, known also as Knights of St. John, and later as Knights of Malta. (22) Candia, Crete.

103: 7, a Crossed-keys' flag, insignia of pope, keys of heaven and bell crossed.

104:36, Rennes, chief city of Bretagne, now capital of Ile Vilaine district in France.

105: 5, Bretagne, Brittany. (33) Pro fide, For the faith.

106: 34, some Count Dreux refers to the tradition that, in addition to the Jewish, Mohammedan, Zoroastrian, Gnostic, and other eastern elements of the Druse religion, were added a French or Christian strain. (35) Bouillon's war, that of first Crusade, led by Godfrey, Duke of Bouillon, 1060-1100.

108: 42, sweet cane, Acorus calamus, very aromatic; when trodden on, smells like incense. Lilith, legendary first wife of Adam.

111: 4, incense from a Mage-king's tomb, superstition that sweet odors come from tombs of magicians and reveal hidden treasures. (15) saffron vestures, color especially used for ceremonial purposes. (21) khandjar, dagger.

120:26, some new expiatory form, transmigration of evil souls into bodies of beasts on death.

123: 8, San Gines by Murcia; on bay of Murcia, near Cartagena, Spain. (23) bezants, gold coins of Byzantium. (37) red-cross rivals, Knights Templar, so called because occupying an apartment in Christian palace, Jerusalem, near Temple.

124: 34, Tiar, tiara.

126: 12, Bahumid, Moktana Bohaeddin, who formulated and reduced to writing the teachings of Hamzé, the apostle of the Druses in the Lebanon, and their chief theologian.

132:8, Mahound, Mohammed, so called by Crusaders.

133:5, office of Hamza, that of incarnation of Universal Intelligence in human form as teacher of God's truth. (8) Copht, citizen of Egyptian city of Coptus. (10) Biamrallah, or Bemrillah, one of the names of the Caliph with whom the Druse faith originated. (37) the third Fatemite; Biamrallah was the third of the Fatimite Caliphs of Egypt, so named from Fatima, daughter of Mohammed.

134: 14, Romaioi Ioudaioi te kai proselutoi, Greek of Acts ii. 10, strangers of Rome, Jews, and proselytes.

136: 32, truncheon; same root as thyrsus, stalk or staff, sign of office, here meaning that the person who carries it represents the Church. 142:24, cedar-blossom; from cedars of Lebanon, thus representing Druse authority. (37) St. Mark . . . Lion, patron saint of Venice, with lion as emblem, thus indicating authority of Venice.

143. A BLOT IN THE 'SCUTCHEON. (4) poursuivant, French poursuivre, to follow along with, hence follower, messenger or herald. (13) bravery, showiness, splendor.

144:28, a cast of Swedish hawks, two hawks cast or flung into the air together. (29) leash of greyhounds, three, held by one leash or cord.

146: 8, herald, leader and manager of ceremonies. (32) he's the king's, serves the king, i. e. belongs to army.

147: 39, thicks, thickets. (40) eyass, young hawk, from French niais, callow or half-fledged.

149: 28, mercy-stroke, death-stroke after torture. (30) blazon, coat of arms, or armorial bearings, or flag bearing such.

151:23, Conqueror, William of Normandy, who conquered England in 1066. (25) bow-hand or arrow-hand, left hand holding bow, or right which sets arrow.

152:3, paladins, knights, from Italian paladino, palace attendants of rank. (25) that fair dame, Countess of Salisbury, who dropped her garter at a ball, picked up by Edward III., who, when courtiers smiled on his handing it to the Countess, said Honi soit qui mal y pense, Evil to him who thinks evil. He instituted Order of the Garter, and gave it this motto.

154:5, expressless, inexpressible, not to be expressed; not coined

by Browning, as editors of Poet-Lore say. (39) some cursed fount, Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar, ii. 2, 76.

156: 25, fight-mark, custom under chivalry of knight wearing a gift from his lady as his device or emblem.

161:26, Latin surely, Ovid, Metamorphoses, vi.

162: 17, turtle's voice, Solomon's Song ii. 10.

169:23, surcoat, worn over armor, from French sur, over, cotte, coat. (24) wimple, plaited hood.

174: 33, some fabled crime refers to Greek tragedies like Oresteai of Eschylus, and avenging of crime by Furies.

175: 1, antiphony, alternate singing or chanting by choir divided into two parts, who respond to each other from opposite sides of church or cathedral. (8) diffused, used adjectively and accented on first syllable.

178: 25, foredone, exhausted, overcome; Old English. (26) pageantworld, theatrical exhibition. (27) masque, masquerading or theatrical company.

179:2, gules, heraldic term for red, meaning here that blood has washed away the spot on the escutcheon.

182. COLOMBE'S BIRTHDAY. (4) Ravestein, old castle in town of that name on Meuse River, North Brabant, Holland. (7) Juliers, in Aachen, Rhenish Prussia, sixteen miles northeast of Aix-la-Chapelle, fortified town of three thousand inhabitants. (24) gentles, gentlefolk; an Elizabethan usage.

183: 19, Autumn floats of pine-wood, rafts coming down the river. (21) guilder, Dutch coin worth forty cents. (33) Salic law, that of Salian Franks, derived from river Yssel, or Isalia, on border between Holland and France; commonly used with reference to that feature of the Salic law of inheritance of landed property which excluded women from succession, and constructively from the throne.

184:2, mummery, theatrical show or masque. (30) coil, ado, turmoil.

185:26, pill and poll, plunder and strip; an Elizabethan phrase, (40) cappings, taking off caps.

186:4, doit, small coin formerly used in Netherlands. (30) halberts, halberds, combined spear and battle-axe, for cutting and thrusting.

187: 8, Cleves, two miles from Rhine, near Dutch frontier, formerly capital of duchy of same name. Its old castle in centre of the town is scene of Lohengrin story. (40) Pentecost, Jewish feast, Christian equivalent being Whitsuntide.

188: 6, I bear a brain, have a good memory. (18) Pope's cross, badge of membership in the order of knighthood conferred by the Pope. (34) How should they let me pause? refers to miseries in preceding line.

189: 2, from Cleves to Juliers, about sixty miles.

190: 10, sursum corda, Lift up your hearts, words spoken by priest when he consecrates the Host in the Mass. (17) lace, largely manufactured at Cleves. (21) marcasite, crystallized bisulphide of iron.

195: 13, church-flowers, lilies and other flowers used symbolically in decoration of churches. (19) God's Mother, Madonna, or Virgin Mary, whose image is in all churches in Catholic lands.

196:16, a lion crests him, the crest of his coat-of-arms is a lion. (17) 'scutcheon's word, the motto on his coat-of-arms is that given.

200:9, Cologne, city on Rhine, formerly capital of electorate of same name. (10) Aix, Aix-la-Chapelle, where German emperors were crowned. (17) seneschal, high steward or chief official of a castle or barony.

ric.

201: 41, Treves, now Trier, in valley of Moselle, seat of archbishop

202: 3, Amelius, Italian philosopher of Neo-Platonic school, lived in latter half of third century. (43) truncheon, staff of office.

206: 41, a pillared flame, Exodus xiii. 12; Numbers xiv. 14. 209: 29, emprise, enterprise, adventurousness, dangerous risk, from Old French emprise.

214:8, Burgraves, Landgraves, Markgraves; grave or graf means count, hence count of a bur or a burg is a Burgrave, of a mark is a Markgrave; German titles of nobility. (11) chrysoprase, a choice variety of chalcedony, of apple-green color. (40) Luitpold's brazen self, his bronze statue.

215: 40, grade of joy; grade is used with meaning of step. 221: 28, We seem; reference to revolutionary tendencies. 230: 28, Barnabite, monk of the order of St. Barnabas.

231. INCIDENT OF THE FRENCH CAMP. Mrs. Orr says the poem was founded on the following incident: "A boy soldier of the army of Napoleon has received his death wound in planting the imperial flag within the walls of Ratisbon. He contrives by a supreme effort to gallop out to the Emperor, who has watched the storming of the city from a mound a mile or two away, — fling himself from the horse, and, holding himself erect by its mane, announce the victory. No sign of pain escapes him. But when Napoleon suddenly exclaims, 'You are wounded,' the soldier's pride in him is touched. 'I am killed, Sire,' he replies; and, smiling, falls dead at the Emperor's feet. The story is true, but its actual hero was a man." A careful and extended search has not elicited any other information concerning this incident. Ratisbon is a city of Bavaria, on the right bank of the Danube; also called Regensburg. The storming of Ratisbon took place in May, 1809, during Napoleon's Austrian campaign.

233. MY LAST DUCHESS. Fra Pandolf and his picture, Claus of Innsbruck, and the bronze Neptune taming a sea-horse are creations of the poet.

241. INSTANS TYRANNUS. The instans tyrannus (threatening tyrant) of this poem was suggested by the opening verse of the third ode of the third book of the Odes of Horace, beginning,

Justum et tenacem propositi virum,

Non civium ardor prava jubentium
Non vultus instantis tyranni.

In the translation of Sir Theodore Martin the first two stanzas read thus, the subject of the ode being the apotheosis of Romulus :

"He that is just, and firm of will,
Doth not before the fury quake
Of mobs that instigate to ill,
Nor hath the tyrant's menace skill
His fixed resolve to shake;

"Nor Auster, at whose wild command
The Adriatic billows dash

Nor Jove's dread thunder-launching hand;
Yea, if the globe should fall, he'll stand
Serene amidst the crash."

247. THE GLOVE. The story related in this poem is well known in literature, and was first told by Poullain de St. Croix in his Essais Historiques sur Paris, as follows: "One day whilst Francis I. amused himself with looking at a combat between his lions, a lady, having let her glove drop, said to De Lorges, 'If you would have me believe that you love me as much as you swear you do, go and bring back my glove?' De Lorges went down, picked up the glove from amidst the ferocious beasts, returned, and threw it in the lady's face, and in spite of all her advances and cajoleries would never look at her again." In his use of the story Schiller adds nothing, but Leigh Hunt expands it in his The Glove and the Lions, making the woman vain and willing to use her power over her lover. Browning was not satisfied with this account of the action of the lady; and he gives the story a quite different ending, keeping the legendary form of the narrative by putting it into the mouth of Peter Ronsard, the founder of the classical school of French poets, who lived in the time of King Francis. Clement Marot was another poet of the same period, who, at the court of Margaret of Navarre, translated the Psalms in a spirit so liberal they had much to do in spreading Protestantism. Most of his poems were of a lyrical and amorous nature. (12) Naso, Ovid; a reference to the classical tastes of Ronsard.

248: 20, Illum Juda Leonem de Tribu, that lion of the tribe of Judah.

251:27, Venienti occurrite morbo, meet the coming disease, that is, anticipate evil and provide against it. (28) theorbo, an old Italian stringed instrument used by pages.

253. THE ITALIAN IN ENGLAND. (8) Charles; the poem is not based upon any definite historical incident, but the person referred to was Charles Albert, Prince of Carignano, who belonged to the younger branch of the house of Savoy. In the public school where he was educated Charles knew Albert Nota, who became his secretary, and was a liberal writer. Charles at first favored the rising of Santa Rosa in 1823 against Austria, and became regent of Turin. When King Charles Felix opposed the new government, Charles submitted to the king's command, and deserted his friend. With the coming of the Austrians, Santa Rosa was obliged to flee from the country. (19) Metternich, the Austrian statesman, the bitter opponent of Italian independence.

254:44, Tenebræ, darkness; "the office of matins and lauds for the three last days in Holy Week. Fifteen lighted candles are placed on a triangular stand, and at the conclusion of each psalm one is put out, till a single candle is left at the top of the triangle. The extinction of the other candles is said to figure the growing darkness of the world at the time of the crucifixion. The last candle (which is not extinguished, but hidden behind the altar for a few moments) represents Christ, over whom death could not prevail." - Dr. Berdoe.

257. THE ENGLISHMAN IN ITALY. (5) Scirocco, strong, hot wind that blows across the Mediterranean from Africa in autumn.