16 "De Courci," a Poem, by James Thomson. Where angel Beauty never smiled, And pledged a faith no change could sever; The thought, which e'en hope could not soothe into rest: That life might depart, and its happiness glide, Yet the friend of thy youth would be still from thy side; And the ocean should flow, and the day-star should burn, But the joys of thy bosom would never return ?----- Such moments are sad and the lightning which flies, Or, the thunder that rolls 'midst the storm of the skies, Hath no shaft so terrific,--no wound can impart, Like that, which their agony rends in the heart ;-- When in vain expectation our wishes decay, And our fond cherish'd visions all vanish away!" The interview between St. Claire and the father of De Courci takes place in the bed-chamber of the former, who has been previously startled, at his first retiring to repose, by the appearance of the latter;the guilty father tells St. [VOL. 2. Claire that he has been confined twenty years by his son:-St. Claire's feelings revolt at the unfilial act, and he offers to set him free;-the former then proceeds to the disclosure of the deed for which he had so long been doomed to captivity and chains ; "Weep not for me !---there is a tale My untold deed of wickedness !--- The horror of St. Claire and the maddening remorse of De Courci are cut short by the increased violence of the tempest and the fall of the building, in the ruins of which the whole family are overwhelmed. VOL. 2.] Thomson's "De Courci," and other Poems. It was as if the day of doom Piled Nature's ruins o'er her tomb! For the ghastly bones of the young and the fair Were whiten'd in death by the storm-blast there! And no one escaped in that hazardous hour, The wreck of the living,--the fall of their power. Now years upon years have flitted away, Dark moss has grown over the mounds of clay, And every relic with age is grey :-- But remnants of pillars all shatter'd and broken, Still their awful end betoken. And yet will the Pilgrim pause to trace And vengeance was written in fire from The concluding lines, in continuation of the first address to "Provence," are certainly the best in the poem: and we cannot deny ourselves or our readers the gratification of extracting them. "PROVENCE!--by every heart remember'd long, Scene of the Hero's fame, and Lover's lay; Where erst thy Troubadours awoke the song With some wild legend, and forgotten fray, Or made the festal moment yet more gay, When labour's duties had with evening ceased; Caroll'd their ballads to the closing day, 17 "How pure, how fadeless is the halo flame, That beams its radiance o'er the Artist's name; To bail the swains' return from toil released, Or strung their tuneful harps to greet the vin- Where,bright with Inspiration's kindling rays, tage feast. The star of Genius sheds its warmest blaze! 18 Thomson's" De Courci," and other Poems. "In life, in death, eternal honours spread, Fame's meteor brightness round its votary's head; Though, like the stormy sun-burst's flitting ray, A varying lot may mark his chequer'd day, ---Another victim to the ills of life! "See at the hillock where his ashes sleep, Those sorrowing babes, and mourning widow weep; Beneath that turf, whose flowers so vainly Each bliss lies buried in a parent's tomb, "Beloved England ;---'tis our proudest That Pity's angel sanctifies thy coast, The hour that marks our Sovereign's birth Oh! let a nation's prayers with rapture spring, Imploring blessings an our virtuous King! [VOL 2. From the extracts which we have given, our readers will allow us to appeal to their judgment for the justice of our unMost of these Addresses have been qualified approval of Mr. Thomson's written for anniversaries of the several work :-and the author will not, perInstitutions of which the royal Brothers haps, refuse our congratulations when we are Patrons or Benefactors; Mr. Thom- add, upon the pledge of our impartial son, as Honorary Secretary to his Royal opinion, that he need not shrink from Highness the Duke of Kent, for Chari- the critic's eye, nor suffer his modesty ties, has thus evinced, by the talent to question the merit of his muse. We which he possesses, the interest which have, however, one boon to beg of him, he feels in that great cause of national in behalf of the public-that he would beneficence which his illustrious Princi- apply himself to a subject of more impal, and every member of the throne, portance, and give to the world some countenance with a benevolence of heart regular poem, which we are well assured and earnestness of support which dignify his genius and his talents are amply the splendour of personal rank by the competent to produce; and if we may hallowed elevation of Christian charac- be allowed to suggest the subject, we should mention-Charity. June, 1817. ter. Among the miscellaneous poems of this volume are several of considerable VOL. 2.] IN French Economy. ECONOMY OF FRENCH COOKERY. From the Monthly Magazine. 19 Meaux, in France; Dec. 11, 1816. stall in a market from morning to night, N this neighbourhood nearly all the how miserable is her situation in Encottagers are land-owners, that is, gland, she never has a comfortable meal; possess from half an acre to five acres, look at a French market-woman, she and the cultivation of these little spots has a morsel of meat and a few vegeOccupies their time, and the produce tables, perhaps only two ounces of keeps their families. Three-fifths of the bacon, beef, or mutton; she has a little land is planted with vines, hence we may earthen furnace like a flower-pot, and a conclude the general distress in this penny-worth of charcoal, she stews her season of scarcity. To alleviate it a little morsel at her feet in an earthen saucethe crop of potatoes is every where pan, and with a little bread has two or abundant, and poor families boil half three warm comfortable meals, while the a-peck of potatoes, a couple of cabbages, charcoal keeps her feet warm all day. and half a pound of bacon, which forms Can we doubt then as to the relative their breakfast, dinner, and supper. It is degree of comfort enjoyed by the French unnecessary to state the quality of the and English women? soup made from such materials, a little In England, if a poor man has no improved by two or three carrots and a home to dress his victuals, he buys a roasted onion. Such is their fare, and morsel of indifferent meat at the market, must be during the winter. Labour is and takes it to a public-house to dresɛ, also extremely cheap, a man will go thirty where he spends his time and his money, miles with his horse and cart, laden both and forms bad connexions. In the ways, for 7s.; and a master gardener parts of Paris, inhabited by the labouring earns only 18d. per diem, providing his classes, women have stalls with fryingown food. Female labour is from 5d. pans, gridirons, chops, herrings, potato 7 d. per day; the hire of a horse for toes, (fried,) &c. &c. where, for twowork, (a sort of galloway,) is 30 sous, pence, a poor man may make a toler(15d.); and of an ass, 74d. It is an old able repast. The gridiron is on the fire, adage, that three Frenchmen would live and, for one half-penny beyond the cost where one Englishman would starve of the meat, or fish, it is nicely fried. it is very true, and live well. An Eng- The writer of this article has frequently lishman will broil a stake and lose all stood by and admired the dexterity, the the fine delicious juice in the fire; a cleanliness, and economy of these perFrenchman will boil half the quantity sons; he has left the scene, gone to a with vegetables, have good broth for restaurateur's, ordered the same things three persons, and meat enough for all; for his dinner, costing him three shilor he will fry it, and, with the juice of lings, and found them neither so well the meat left in the frying pan, he will dressed nor so well served. As Engmake a better soup than is frequently to land suffers from scarcity, these hints, be found in English coffee-houses at a circulated by the Monthly Magazine, shilling per bason. In a French kitchen, may produce much comfort amongst whether great or small nothing is wasted; the lower classes; and, in keeping perand a French cook would think it the sin against the Holy Ghost, from which even the Pope would not absolve him, were he to waste or sell his dripping. sons from public-houses, where they now are often obliged to go from necessity, public morals will, undoubtedly, be benefitted. The scheme would take We say, the French have no word to at first from its novelty, and be continued express comfort; true, but they have the from its evident utility, as persons would idea and practise it, while we too often thus make a better meal for three-pence content ourselves with the name; for than they now do often for a shilling. instance, a poor woman who keeps a S. T. Y. 20 My dear Son, Original Letters from a Father. LETTERS FROM A FATHER TO HIS SON. LETTER III. From the European Magazine. [VOL. 2 which they themselves estimate the time consumed in the performance of them. IN N my last I addressed you somewhat There is nothing more just than such an at large upon the disposal of your answer, and nothing more wise than the time: but time is so important and ex- consideration on which it is grounded: tensive a subject, and embraces so many for he who surrenders his time, gives up considerations essentially blended with the most valuable property he can posa young man's happiness, that I must sess; and he, in whose employ it is extake leave to trespass a little farther upon pended, adds it to his own, and makes a your attention, by entering more partic- proportionate advantage of the aggregate. ularly into its discussion, and applying it It seems, then, that even in the most peculiarly to your situation. I would subordinate appropriations of time, its hope, dear G, that you will not value is most accurately appreciated by think me presuming too far upon my those who barter it for pecuniary recomown experience, if I insist more seriouspense; but how much more scrupulously upon this topic than what may per- ly ought every hour and minute to be haps appear to you to be necessary. weighed by those who possess the faciliRemember, a parent is the treasurer of ty of applying it to the higher purposes his child's possessions, and it is his duty of intellectual attainment! purposes, to provide that the store be not diminish- which, so far from placing them in subed by careless inconsiderateness on the ordinacy to others, raise them above the part of either. Of these possessions, general level of society. time may rightly be regarded as the most A young man of education, in whatprecious, since it materially depends ever medium he may be called upon to upon the right use of this inestimable exert himself as an active member of the talent, whether the rest prove profitable community to which he belongs, may or pernicious. fairly be supposed to be actuated by that Suffer me, then, to dwell somewhat emulous desire of distinguishing himself, at length upon what I esteem as its due which peculiarly characterises the native application; and should you now feel energy of youth. He will not, therefore, that I attach more restrictions to your make a senseless sacrifice of the most disposal of it than are warranted by efficient means which he possesses of seyour youthful feelings, I have no hesita- curing such distinction. And when he tion in promising you, that your com- finds that he has sufficient disposal of pliance with them will insure you the his time to improve the advantages which best satisfactions in your earlier progress he possesses in a superior degree over his through life, and the happiest consola- compeers in the department of his pertions at that period of it, when your own sonal employ, he will not rest satisfied, experience shall justify these admoni- if he has any laudable ambition, until he tions which mine most earnestly recom- extends this superiority beyond the mere mends to your most solemn reflections. limits of official agency. The prospecThere are few persons, my dear G-, tive value of his time, will be the scale who are engaged in the industrious as- by which he will estimate it; and the sociations of life, that do not frame to annual stipend which he receives for his themselves a standard of gain, either of intermediate application of it, will not present possession or future prospect, by be regarded by him as marking its posiwhich they calculate the value and profit tive worth. By this prospective value, of their labour; and the index that I would be understood as referring to graduates the scale is their time.-"I that improvement of his time, which may can make more of my time," is the com- so prepare him for any advance of situamon reply of such individuals, if they tion, that whenever the promotion is consider the proffered remuneration or placed within his reach, he may not be wages of their services, below the rate at deterred from seeking it, by any con |