tive power.

Of such contemporary authors as are and it may be questioned, whether the noticed in the work of Mr Feldberg, pain of the fall does not frequently proceed we now with brevity to speak. more than counterbalance the pleasure Evald is a poet of considerable powers. of the excursion. His course is lofty, He has written several pieces for the but not equable. When we travel with stage, which have been eminently suc- him, we sometimes cleave the impalcesful, and display a masterly talent pable sky with the swiftness of the for the delineation of human passion, falcon, and, at others, are jolted along and those evanescent aspirations after a detestable road, in a vehicle slower virtue, to which even the guiltiest bo- and more cumbrous than the Newsom cannot entirely cease to be alive, castle waggon. And yet it is perhaps As a specimen of his talents, we give the highest praise of this extraordinary the following song, which, among some genius, that, maltreated as we are, we bad taste, shews considerable descrip- never wish to stop, but are content to

journey on with him to the last. Such of

our readers as are anxious to acquire a King Christian took his fearless stand 'Midst smoke and night ;

more intimate knowledge of the chaA thousand weapons rang around,

racter and distinctive beauties of OehThe red blood sprung from many a wound, lenschlager than could possible be de 'Midst smoke and steam to the profound rived from any description of our own, Sunk Sweden's might !

we beg to refer to the beautiful transa Fly, sons of Swedes! what heart may dare lạtions of some of his most popular With Denmark's Christian to compare

dramas which have already appeared In fight ?'

in this miscellany.--Baggesen is the “ Niels Juel beheld the storm roll nigh;

Moore, and Ramdohr is the Jeffrey of The hour is come!'

Denmark; the one has all the lightness, He waves the crimson flag on high,

the brilliancy, and the sparkling efferThe blows in doubling volleys fly, vescence of fancy, which distinguish · Tis come,' the foes of Denmark cry, the bard of Lalla Rookh, and the other • Our day of doom !

adds a greater depth and solidity of acFly ye who can! what warrior dares

quirement to the splendid powers of Meet Denmark's Juel, that man prepares illustration and of reasoning distinctive His tomb !'

of the Caledonian Aristarchus. In Sea of the North ! aloft behold

short, he carries heavier metal, and is Thy third bolt fly!

the cock of a more extended walk than Thy chilly lap receives the bold, Mr Jeffrey has eyer occupied. No man For terror fights with Tordenskiod,

possesses a finer and more discriminaa And Sweden's shrieks,like death-belltoll'd, tive taste in the fine arts than RamRing through thy sky.

dohr. With regard to literature, he Onward the bolt of Denmark rolls ;

stands also on much higher ground • Swedes! to Heaven commit your souls, than Mr Jeffrey can pretend to. There And fly!'

is no department of it which he has " Thou darksome deep ! the Dane's path- not embellished-none in which his way

writings do not bear record of his haTo might and fame!

ying excelled. No wonder, then, that Receive thy friend, whose spirit warm

in his own country, his criticisms are Springs to meet danger's coming form,

received with deference and respect; As thy waves rise against the storm,

that authors bow to his decision with And mounts to flame! 'Midst song and mirth life's path I'll tread,

a reverence, altogether unknown to the And hasten to ocean-bed my

grumbling and lacerated victims of the Through fame.”

Edinburgh or the Quarterly. Mr Bag

gesen is the friend and associate of this But, in the walks of dramatic litera- distinguished individual, and worthy ture, Oehlenschlager is unrivalled. He of the honour. His poems are like possesses a sway over our feelings to jewels of the first water, small but vawhich no other poet of his age and na- luable. There is a tenderness and de, tion can make any pretensions. Yet this licacy of sentiment, a splendour of imapower, we think, he is not always suffici- gination in the whole, which renders ently careful not to abuse. In the wild- them very enchanting. We know of ness of his imagination, he delights to no extended work in which Mr Bagsoar into the loftiest regions of poetry, gesen has exerted himself. No author and suddenly to dash us to the ground; is more capable of doing justice to one,

a

and we trust, that ere long, he will before them an epigram by Thaarup, consecrate his fame to after-ages in an which two of our contributors have epic poem, as he has already done in been kind enough to translate. As the the lighter, though not less difficult merits of these translations are somewalks of the art. To shew the estima- what different, we beg to submit them tion in which these two distinguished both to the judgment of our readers : persons are held in Denmark, we lay

EPIGRAM FROM THE DANISH OF THAARUP.

zine, *

a

BY DR SCOTT.

BY ODOHERTY. If in a dungeon I were thrown

If a king should be so incorrect, By some fell tyrant's cruel rage,

As into a dungeon to cram me, Two authors left to me alone,

And bid me two authors select, To charm me with their speaking page. To lighten my solitude, damme! Homer nor Virgil would I chuse

Though the want of old Ebony's MagaTo sooth of solitude the damn'd bore ; I'd seek in Baggesen my muse,

I still must consider a damn'd bore; And find philosophy in Ramdohr. For poet, I'd pick out Bill Baggesen

For critic, I'd pitch upon Ramdohr. For what toils, what sufferings to descend

into the vaults. At last a slave, would not such praise afford an ample who had forfeited his life, was told, that recompence! Having thrown together his crime should be forgiven if he could these few hasty observations on some bring intelligence of what he found in the of the great men, of whom notice is in- yaults. He went down, and came to a troduced by Mr Feldberg in his work, when he knocked. He found himself in a

large iron door, which opened of itself we shall conclude the present article deep vault. In the centre of the ceiling with a few extracts from the lighter hung a lar::p, which was nearly burnt out; part of the volume before us. There

and, below, stood a huge stone-table, round is a great deal of statistical information which some steel-clad warriors sat, resting contained in it, and the local descrip- their heads on their arms, which they had tions are executed with a talent and laid crossways. He who sat at the head of truth, which prove Mr Feldberg to be the table then rose up. It was Holger the no unobservant spectator of nature, Dane. But when he raised his head from under all her forms. The following his arms, the stone-table burst right in description of Cronenburgh Castle will twain, for his beard had grown through it. be interesting to our readers, from the

Give me thy hand !' said he to the slave. knowledge that it formed the prison of The slave durst not give him his hand,

but the unfortunate Queen Caroline Ma- dented with his fingers. At last he let go

put forth an iron bar, which Holger in. tilda :

his hold, muttering, It is well! I am “ The Castle of Cronenburgh, in the glad that there are yet men in Denmark.' vicinity of Elsinore, was built by Frede

“ Leaving the casemates, and ascending rick II. in the boldest style of Gothic ar

the ramparts, Englishmen will find them chitecture. Mr Boesen, an honest old hisselves on classic ground. Here they may torian of the place, while describing the indulge the fancy of Mr Matthison, the position, solidity, and magnificence of the celebrated Swiss poet, who made the venecastle, affirms, that it may rank with the rable ghost of Hamlet's father appear on noblest castles, not only in the North, but the platform, when he exclaimed in all Europe.

. There are more things in heaven and earth, “ This venerable edifice is connected with subjects of traditional, dramatic, and

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' historical interest. On descending into the “But a still deeper tragedy will awaken casemates, the story of Holger Danske, (or the sympathies of an Englishman on his Ogier the Dane, as he is called in the visit to Cronenburgh Castle. For, (to use French romances), will amuse the mind in the words of a distinguished author, alrea. these damp and dismal vaults. It is thus dy quoted), here Matilda was confined, related by Mr Thiele: For many ages the victim of a foul and murderous court. the din of arms was now and then heard in intrigue. Here, amid heart-breaking griefs, the vaults beneath the Castle of Cronen- she found consolation in nursing her infant, burgh. No man knew the cause, and there whefi, by the interference of England, her was not in all the land a man bold enough own deliverance was obtained ; and as the

Horatio,

a

ship bore her away from a country where the holy fathers desired, seeing they the venial indiscretions of youth and un- wished not only to eat, drink, and suspicious gaiety had been so cruelly pur sleep well, but to go to heaven also, nished, upon these towers she fixed her which instance of good taste, we beeyes, and stood upon the deck, obstinately lieve, has been strictly observed by all gazing toward them till the last speck had

their reverend successors.

We shall disappeared.

“During her imprisonment in the Castle give the following legendary tale in of Cronenburgh, it was Queen Caroline the words of Mr Feldberg :Matilda's chief enjoyment to ascend the

“ The remains of the monastery at Esrom square tower, which commands one of the deserve to be visited, as they may shew with finest prospects in the world. No spot what good taste the monks selected one of could better sooth the anguish of her the most beautiful situations in the island mind. The animated appearance of the for their residence. It was originally one

Sound, in which the English flag is so fre- of the most opulent and considerable mohis quently displayed, would fill her mind with nasteries in the North, and of the Cister

cheering images of the greatness and pros- cian order. Its name, perhaps, might, perity of her native land. And, in gazing without much impropriety, be substituted on the beauties which nature has scattered in the following lines: with so lavish a hand over Denmark, her contemplations on the great First Cause of "O the monks of Melrose made gude kale

On Fridays when they fasted ; all good would create in her the best dis

They wanted neither beef nor ale, position to forgive her enemies, persecu. As long as their neighbours' lasted.'. tors, and slanderers.'»

6 Indeed the monks of Esrom led a very The ruins of the Monastery at Es- merry life, through the w'sked agency of

rom are particularly interesting, and the devil, who had gained admittance to the 1 Mr Feldberg devotes several of his monastery by the name of Friar Ruus, and

pages to an account of their antiqui- served in the capacity of cook. The legenties, and the traditionary miracles with dary history of this remarkable personage which they are connected. The devil, is sufficiently amusing: Mr Thiele, in his it appears, had a wonderful antipathy

work already spoken of, gives it in the folto the monks of this pious establish

lowing manner :

“ It is related, when the devil once saw ment, and did his “possible” to corrupt how piously and virtuously the monks of them. As favourable opportunities of Esrom lived, that he assumed the human temptation occurred, he occasionally form, knocked at the gate of the monastery, converted himself into a bottle of cla- saying that his name was Ruus. Pretendret, a haunch of venison, a dressed ing to be a cook's apprentice, as such he turtle, or a fine woman, in order to was engaged by the abbot. But, being seduce the ghostly fathers from their once alone with the master-cook, he shewed usual continence and sobriety. Never disobedience, for which he received chaswere a poor set of monks so persecu- tisement. At this he felt very wroth; and ted. Did they fast, their nostrils were

as he had previously put a kettle of water continually saluted with the savoury when he perceived the kettle boiled, and

on the fire, he laid hold of the master-cook, fragrance of roast beef and Maintenon thrust him into it head foremost

. He then cutlets;—were they satiated with food, ran about and screamed, lamenting the goblets of the finest wine appeared to misfortune that had happened to his mascourt their lips, and the drawing of ter. Thus he deceived all the friars of the corks was in their ears ;-was their monastery in such a manner, that they hide galled by the sackcloth of their thought him perfectly guiltless, and made order, garments of silk, and shirts of him master-cook. This was exactly what the finest Holland seemed to court he had aspired to, so that afterwards he their acceptance ;-were they incli- might work out their destruction. He now ned to sleep, behold a down bed and dressed their victuals so lusciously, that the cambric sheets appeared to invite them

monks forgot both fasting and and

prayer,

themselves to repose. The only drawback to these it is even said that he brought women into

up to good living. Nay, enjoyments was, that in case they accepted them, they ipso facto became self highly with the abbot, who even pre

the monastery, and thus ingratiated himproselytes of the devil, and gave up all vailed upon Ruus to become a friar, wishhopes of heaven, which on the whole ing nothing so much as to have such a was not so advantageous a bargain as cook about him. From that time quarrels

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• Lay of the Last Minstrel, Canto the First, Note XXII. Kalę, Broth. In Danish Kaal, a very popular dish.

3

and wickedness spread to such an extent ed of such importance, that the celebrated in the monastery, that it certainly would Petrus Resenius deemed it worthy of bea have come into the power of the Evil One, ing represented in his “ Atlas Danicus.” if the monks had not seasonably left off The intelligent Professor Molbech, in his their vicious ways. It so happened, that “ Juvenile Wanderings,” adds to our inRuus was once in a wood, where he obser- formation regarding the personal advenved a fine fat cow. He killed her, taking ture of Ruus :- After being exorcised, the a quarter along with him to the monastery, abbot constrained him, by way of punishand hanging up the remainder on a tree in ment for his wicked intentions, to proceed the wood. The peasant to whom the cow to England, and without intermission to rebelonged came soon afterwards ; and when turn, bringing with him through the air as he saw the three quarters hanging on the much lead as amounted to 320,000 pound. & tree, he determined to watch in another weight, for the roof of the monastery."" tree, until the thief should come to fetch the rest. While he was sitting there, he Although Mr Feldberg alludes to Proobserved how the devil's imps played their fessor Molbech in the above extract, pranks in the wood, talking much about yet he does not seem to be aware that Ruus, and how he designed to invite the that gentleman has composed a ballad abbot and his monks to an entertainment with himself in hell. The peasant was

on the very tradition which it narrates. terribly frightened at this, and went next

Mr Lewis, in one of his notes, alludes day to the abbot, relating all that he had to it as one of the finest specimens of seen and heard in the wood. On this the the “ terrible sublime” with which he abbot called all the monks together in the is acquainted. The ludicrously terrific church, and began to read and sing. Ruus, would perhaps have been a happier who had never shewn any particular relish epithet; but be that as it may we for such devotional services, attempted to heartily join the author of the Monk in sneak out; but the abbot seized him by the his admiration of the poetical power cloak, and exorcised him into the shape of which it displays. We are anxious to a red horse, committing him to the power introduce this piece to the notice of of hell. For a long time after this occurrence, the iron kettle and gridiron belong- the partial translation which we have

our readers, though we confess that in ing to Ruus were still shewn in the monastery of Esrom.

attempted, it is but too probable that “ The gridiron, which is thus said to be.

we have furnished rather evidence of long to the chattels left behind by the ex

our feebleness, than of the beauties so orcised devil, at no distance of time was prominent in the original.

It begins preserved at Esrom, and shewn as a piece thus : of great antiquity. Indeed it was consider,

Once when the morning breezes blew o'er Esrom's cloister'd walls,
They caught the voice of hymning sweet, that rose from Esrom’s halls,
And every rising sun beheld its holy monks at prayer,
And when his golden beams went down, they still were kneeling there.
And short and scanty the repasts these holy men partook,
And while they ate they told their beads, and gazed upon their book;
There was no sound of revelry, no circling of the wine,

But the spring supplied their beverage, the crust of bread their dine. Such was the simplicity of their fare, and such the ardour of their devotions! In the original Mr Molbech enlarges on these at considerable length, and informs us, that by their extraordinary abstinence and mortification of the flesh, they had reduced themselves to the same spareness of body, characteristic of a personage well known in a neighbouring city, by the appellation of “ Death run away with the mort-cloth.” The following gives us further insight with regard to their habits and personal economy:

Like modern beaux, these holy monks, in iron stays were laced,
And sackcloth rough and prickly too, their nether parts embraced ;
No feather bed, no hair mattrass, by them at night was prest,
But on the cold and clammy stones, they threw their limbs to rest.

What blessed dreams came over them, what visions did appear,
They are writ in Esrom's chronicles, but I may not tell them here;
How lovely women naked came, and tempted them to sin,
And Satan at their hearts did knock, but devil a bit got in.

56. A life so holy, sạch serene repose," must appear beautiful to all, and enviable at least to those whom an intercourse with the world has not yet deprived of all relish for purer enjoyments. It was, however, but of short duration. The devil sets his head at work to seduce them, and judiciously observing that the belly is not the worst avenue to the head, gets his services accepted in the kitchen of the convent, as is duly set forth in the following stanzas.

The Devil saw their holiness, and straightway set his head
To turn them from the pious life which they so long had led;
A cloven-footed scullion boy, he sought the convent door;
They hired him to assist the cook-the Devil ask'd no more.
When two bestride a horse, there's one that needs must ride behind;
The cook by sad experience this truth was doom'd to find ;
For the Devil soused him in the broth when it was boiling hot,

And cried, Lie there, you lousy dog, 'tis time you go to pot. Having thus far succeeded in his diabolical career, as may be anticipated, the convent dinners begin very suddenly to improve, and Oman himself could not cater better for his guests than the devil did for the monks at Esrom. The consequences are likewise what

may be anticipated.
The jolly friars now began to relish better cheer,
And pickles hot and sauce piquante did at their board appear ;
With nice ragouts and fricassees he made them lick their jaws,
And to their fish, on holidays, they called for oyster-sauce.
The chapel bell with grief they heard, the dinner bell with glee ayez
And lamb and mint-sauce now supplied the place of Agnus Dei ;
With wine and dishes season'd high their heated blood they stirr’d,

And to the Bible Polyglot they Polly Hume preferred. We close this mournful example of human depravity with the following stanza, which shews the monks of Esrom reduced, we think, to the very low est step in the scale of moral degradation.

Thus every holy monk was soon transform'd into a sot,
And they waddled through the cloisters all as fat as Doctor Scott,
And at their shocking trespasses the very saints grew sad,

For they sung their Ave Marias to the tune of “Moll in the Wad!" If our readers are pleased with these der to display Mr Feldberg in the extracts, we can assure them the bal- character of a courtier, a role which lad is not carried on with less spirit in he appears to fill with as much grace the sequel ; and we refer them to the and ease as any of our indigenous account of the remainder of the devil's members of the Leg-of-Mutton School.

exploits to the extracts we have al. The account of his interview with & ready given from Mr Feldberg's vo- Prince Christian is extremely charac

lume. We fully intended, on com- teristic, we think, both of the Prince mencing this article, to have afforded and the Savant. less space to our own observations, and

66 With somewhat similar feeling I saw more to the extracts from the work the young Prince of Denmark. He had

before us. But the evil of our loqua- just returned from a cruise on the lake, with e city cannot now be remedied, and we two lads of about his own size and age,

must only gratify our readers with sons of Count Schulin. There had been a one further quotation, selected in or- fight, and I rather suspect the Prince had VOL. X.

2