FEMALE CHARACTERS OF SCRIPTURE, CONTINUED. BY MRS HEMANS. VII. THE ANNUNCIATION. LOWLIEST of women, and most glorified! In thy still beauty sitting calm and lone, Solemn, yet breathing gladness.-From her Throne From her proud Lyre had struck a Tempest's tone, For such high tidings as to Thee were brought, Chosen of Heaven! that hour :-but Thou, oh! Thou, Ev'n as a flower with gracious rains o'erfraught, Thy Virgin head beneath its crown didst bow, And take to thy meek breast th' all holy word, And own Thyself the Handmaid of the Lord. VIII. THE SONG OF THE VIRGIN. YES, as a sun-burst flushing mountain-snow, Which living harps the quires of Heaven among Might well have linked with their divinest chords. Full many a strain, borne far on glory's blast, Shall leave, where once its haughty music pass'd, No more to memory than a reed's faint sigh; While thine, O childlike Virgin! through all time Shall send its fervent breath o'er every clime, Being of God, and therefore not to die. IX. THE PENITENT ANOINTING CHRIST'S FEET. THERE was a mournfulness in Angel eyes, That saw thee, Woman! bright in this world's train, Moving to Pleasure's airy melodies, Thyself the Idol of the enchanted strain. But from thy Beauty's garland, brief and vain, When one by one the rose-leaves had been torn, When thy heart's-core had quivered to the pain Then was there joy, a song of joy in Heaven, X. MARY AT THE FEET OF CHRIST. OH! blest beyond all Daughters of the Earth! What were the Orient's thrones to that low seat, But a fresh childhood, heavenly Truth to meet, Midst the world's eager tones and footsteps flying! Thou, whose calm soul was like a well-spring, lying So deep and still in its transparent rest, That ev'n when Noontide burns upon the hills, Some one bright solemn Star all its lone mirror fills. XI. THE SISTERS OF BETHANY AFTER THE DEATH OF LAZARUS. ONE grief, one faith, O sisters of the Dead! Was in your bosoms-thou, whose steps, made fleet By keen hope fluttering in the hearts which bled, Bore thee, as wings, the Lord of Life to greet; And thou, that duteous in thy still retreat Didst wait his summons-then with reverent love Fall weeping at the blest Deliverer's feet, Oh! question not, and let no law be given XII. THE MEMORIAL OF MARY. THOU hast thy record in the Monarch's hall; The Christian traveller rests,-where'er the child Looks upward from the English mother's knee, With earnest eyes in wondering reverence mild, There art thou known;-where'er the Book of Light Bears hope and healing, there, beyond all blight, Is borne thy memory, and all praise above: Oh! say what deed so lifted thy sweet name, Mary! to that pure silent place of Fame? One lowly offering of exceeding Love. XIII. THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM AT THE CROSS. LIKE those pale stars of tempest-hours, whose gleam Ye, through the darkness o'er the wide earth cast O blessed Faith! a guiding lamp, that hour, Is all of love and suffering from her birth: Still hath your act a voice-through fear, through strife, Bidding her bind each tendril of her life, To that which her deep soul hath owned of holiest worth. XIV. MARY MAGDALENE AT THE SEPULCHRE. WEEPER to thee how bright a Morn was given, When that high voice which burial-rocks had riven, As the deep sweetness of one word could bear 66 Mary!"-and all the triumph wrung from Death Was thus revealed! and Thou, that so hadst err'd, So wept, and been forgiven, in trembling faith Didst cast thee down before th' all conquering Son, Awed by the mighty gift thy tears and love had won! XV. MARY MAGDALENE BEARING TIDINGS OF THE RESURRECTION. THEN was a task of glory all thine own, Nobler than e'er the still small voice assigned To lips, in awful music making known The stormy splendours of some Prophet's mind. "Christ is arisen!"-By thee, to wake mankind, First from the Sepulchre those words were brought! Thou wert to send the mighty rushing wind First on its way, with those high tidings fraught"Christ is arisen !"-Thou, thou, the sin-enthralled, Earth's outcast, Heaven's own ransomed one, wert called In human hearts to give that rapture birth : Oh! raised from shame to brightness!-there doth lie Whose undespairing Love still owned the Spirit's worth. ANTWERP. IT sinks at last, that banner, which to raise Or thickest volley'd grapeshot's iron rain, Careless of limb or life's adventured loss Who that surveys the scene may rightly spell What various feelings every bosom sway, Its stern defenders sadly take their way? The bands of France receive them; not with hail That reverence which the brave can never fail To yield where valour sinks, by fortune forced to quail. Yes, ye do well, who view that scene, to bare The head, like those who round an unfilled grave Who sheathed his sword of lath, while foreign brands Disarmed, but not dishonoured, to the shore Forth from their ruined ramparts as they file, Their country's sinking weight, when force and guile Tracing their progress; o'er the ruin made In Alva's towers, the chiefs of Nassau smile,t While on the Tuscan artist's esplanade, • Vide General Chassé's dispatch. The feat alluded to in the concluding lines of the stanza, was twice performed by a Dutch seaman in the war of independence. Once in the action in the Zuyderzee, in which Bossû, admiral of the Spanish and Belgian fleet, was defeated and taken, and afterwards in an action of equal importance in the Scheldt. The ensign of the Spanish fleets, at this period, was the red cross of Burgundy. It is hardly necessary to state that the citadel of Antwerp was originally constructed by Alva. The engineer Paciotto or Pacheco, who planned its defences, had followed Alva from Savoy, having been lent by the reigning Duke of that state, in whose service Alva found him, for the purpose of the expedition to the Netherlands. It is said that he was nearly related to Alva. His fate is alluded to in a subsequent stanza and note. + William of Nassau, the great founder of the Dutch Republic, was notorious for the steadfast taciturnity with which he matured in his own bosom his schemes for the salvation of his country. The difficulties with which he had to contend, and his repeated failures in his attempts to cope with the superior power of Spain by land, are so well known, that it is unnecessary to confirm the allusions of the text by detailed reference to history. He, too, was oft outnumbered, mastered, foiled; That strength which, like Antæus to the strife, Backed by absolving Rome, had edged the knife, Young Adolpht next, who, with his worthiest foe, With corpses clogged, and many a Spaniard's crest With her young martyr's blood that earliest fight, Set for a season. While the Spaniards' might, Adventurous Louist follows, who sustained Holland's young freedom, while from Hainault's hold The torrent o'er her fields which else had rolled.— Each scheme with caution, craft with force to blend; In him the meanest soldier mourned a friend, The Boyzots twain, a death-united pair- • Louis Requesens de Zuniga, Alva's successor in the vice-government of the Netherlands. +Adolphus, younger brother of the House of Nassau. He fell in the battle of Win-choten in Frizeland, the first action of consequence which took place in the war of independence. His brother Louis commanded the insurgents, and Count D'Aremberg the forces of Spain. The latter was killed, and was interred with his young antagonist, Adolph, in the neighbouring convent of Heiliger See. D'Aremberg was a nobleman of much merit, and his loss was regretted by friends and foes. The affair of Winschoten was an echauffourée of little consequence, further than as an auspicious commencement of the contest. The Spaniards obtained soon afterwards sanguinary revenge in the battle of Jemmingen, where Louis was totally defeated by Alva. Louis, second only to his brother in his achievements for the cause of liberty. By the surprise of Mons, in 1572, he diverted Alva from marching upon Holland, which country, encouraged by the casual successes of the Water Gueuses, had just thrown off the yoke, and must have fallen an easy victim. He endured a long siege, and obtained a brilliant capitulation, and before Mons had surrendered, Holland was in a state of organized resistance not to be suppressed by force of arms. No single exploit contributed so palpably to the great final result of the war as this apparently rash but well-planned enterprise of Louis. He fell in 1574, at the battle of Mook, near Nimeguen, together with his brother Henry, and Duke Christopher of the Palatinate. The manner of their deaths was never ascertained, and their bodies were never recognised. The Boyzots, Charles and Louis. The latter was illustrious for the principal of the naval victories, by which, early in the contest, the supremacy of the northern seas was wrested from Spain. He also conducted the memorable enterprise for raising the siege of Leyden, which was effected by inundating the surrounding country. His brother was less distinguished in the field, but was much employed in diplomatic affairs of moment by Orange. They both fell in battle, nearly at the |