Nor the flooding lustre shun
Where now dips the wearied sun,
While the broad wave, glory drest,
Woos him to her burning breast.
Soon these feet shall kiss the wave
Where his Indian votaries lave;
There, perchance, at evening hour,
Cradled in the fragrant flower

To whose bloom, from many a spray,
Night-birds tune th' enamour'd lay,
Shrouded safe from mortal view,
Free I sip the honied dew;
While the bee, on busy wing,
Soothes me with his murmuring.
'Where the bee sips there sip I!'
On his fragrant couch I lie,
Or in Orient or the West:
But the cowslip love I best,
Where, by Avon's haunted stream.
Wove the bard my spell-wrought dream.
'On the bat's wing there I fly,'

6

Chanting my witch-song merrily;

While each woodland, brake, and dell,—

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong bell,'

Echoes the harp of Ariel.

See! I wave my roseate wings!

Now my spirit soaring sings,

'Merrily, merrily, shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough."

J. KEATS.

OTHO THE GREAT.

A TRAGEDY IN FIVE ACTS.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

OTHO THE GREAT, Emperor of Germany.
LUDOLPH, his Son.

CONRAD, Duke of Franconia.

ALBERT, a Knight, favoured by Otho.
SIGIFRED, an Officer, friend of Ludolph.
THEODORE,Officers.

GONFRID,

ETHELBERT, an Abbot.
GERSA, Prince of Hungary.
An Hungarian Captain.
Physician.

Page.

Nobles, Knights, Attendants, and Soldiers.

ERMINIA, Niece of Otho.

AURANTHE, Conrad's Sister.

Ladies and Attendants.

SCENE. The Castle of Friedburg, its vicinity, and the

Hungarian Camp.

TIME. One Day.

S

OTHO THE GREAT.'

ACT I.

SCENE I.-An Apartment in the Castle.

Enter CONRAD.

O, I am safe emerged from these broils!
Amid the wreck of thousands I am whole;

For every crime I have a laurel-wreath,
For every lie a lordship. Not yet has
My ship of fortune furl'd her silken sails,-
Let her glide on!

This danger'd neck is saved,

"At Shanklin he undertook a difficult task; I engaged to furnish him with the title, characters, and dramatic conduct of a tragedy, and he was to enwrap it in poetry. The progress of this work was curious, for while I sat opposite to him, he caught my description of each scene entire, with the characters to be brought forward, the events, and everything connected with it. Thus he went on, scene after scene, never knowing nor inquiring into the scene which was to follow, until VOL. III.

15

four acts were completed. It was then he required to know at once all the events that were to occupy the fifth act; I explained them to him, but, after a patient hearing and some thought, he insisted that many incidents in it were too humorous, or, as he termed them, too melodramatic. He wrote the fifth act in accordance with his own views, and so contented was I with his poetry that at the time, and for a long time after, I thought he was in the right.' CHARLES BROWN MS.