See-see-we rout the foe!-now watch the glare
Of opening heaven-it glints-our path is there!

With one other ballad we will conclude for the presentintending-as we said before, to return once again to Uhland; and inviting those readers who are fond of German lore to aid us in further illustration of the present poetical School. Perhaps the ridiculous side of knight-errantry has seldom been more easily or graphically set forth than in

ROLAND THE SHIELDBEARER.

King Charlemagne at festive board
Sate with his lords, at Aachen.
Before them, fish and buck were
stored,

Red wine their thirst did slacken.
In golden bowls of splendour bright
The ruby and the emerald's light
Adown the hall was gleaming.

Away the six companions hied
For Ardennes, together;

But when they saw the wood, they

cried

"Tis time we break our tether."
Behind his sire rode Roland near,
Right glad, I ween, the hero's spear
And sturdy shield to carry.

Spake Charlemagne, that prince of By light of sun and light of moon

worth,

"This glimmer naught avails us. The rarest gem of all the earth

It still as ever fails us.

This gem which as the sunshine
glares

Upon his shield a giant bears
In deep Ardennes forest."

Earl Richard, Archbishop Turpin,
Haimon, Naims of Bavaria,
Milon of Anglant, Count Garin,
Grew all of gladness charier.

In steel cuirass each lord him mailed;
Then, "saddle every horse," they
hailed,

"We'll charge upon the giant."

Young Roland, son of Milon, spake; "Hear, father loved, I pray thee; Thou deem'st me, sooth, too young and weak

With ready falchions bound they,
Yet not the doughty giant soon
In brake or cavern found they.

The fourth day came, and then, at

noon,

Duke Milon slept as in a swoon
Beneath an oak-tree's shadow.

Young Roland in his heart bethought "What cause is here for quaking? Shall I be found from sleep for

naught A cherished father waking? There wakes his gallant charger near, There wakes his shield, his sword, his spear,

Young Roland wakes to wear them.

He girt the sword upon his side,
Duke Milon's friend in battle;
With lusty arm the lance he tried
Till on the shield 'twould rattle.
Duke Milon's steed then mounted
he,

Gainst giant to array me.
I'm not so wee but I may bear
Behind, as squire, thy shivering spear And through the firs rode easily;
His sire he would not waken.

And eke thy sturdy buckler."

"Thou little loon, thou dost but And wiped his arms, and washed mock

Lord Haimon rode in troublous

mood

His lance obsequious lowerëd,

And then the head besplashed with
blood

At Charles's feet he floorěd.
"This skullin tangled hedge I found;
Some paces off, upon the ground
A giant's corse did wither."

The noble Garin waving far
The giant's buckler bright went.
"He swings the shield, he bears the
star,

A crown be his requitement!"
"The shield, my liege beloved, I wear;
Right gladly too the gem would
bear,

But that is rent from off it."

Straight followed Archbishop Tur- Duke Milon rode behind the rest,

pin,

A giant's gauntlet bore he;
Hand stiff and stark was yet within;
He laughed, and this his story.
"I bring, my liege, a fair bijou;
I've borne it all the forest through,
Already hacked I found it."

Bavarian Naims the knights among
Returned, and brought the bludgeon.
"I've found in wood club stiff and

long;

Then take it not in dudgeon.
I sweat beneath the heavy pull;
My country's beer in tankards full
Be costly compensation!"

Farl Richard, driving horse ahead,
On foot behind did labour.

For bore the beast with heavy tread
The panoply and sabre.

"I've brought my load, and well I

know

Who seeks the tangled firs thorough
Will light on weapons plenty."

And for the castle steerëd.

No more his harried steed he pressed,
His head was sadly wearied.

Young Roland did the last ap

And when to Milon's buckler good
The gem a ruddy brand lent
Quoth Charlemagne in joyous mood
"Hail Milon, Lord of Anglant!
The giant thou hast overmanned,
And hacked his head, and hacked
his hand

And wrenched the jewel from him."

Duke Milon seemed as he would swoon;
The glint it well might scare one.
"Roland," quoth he, "thou tricksy loon,
Who gave thee that, my rare one?"
"Your pardon, good my Lord, I pray-
This clumsy wight 'twas mine to slay,

The while you sound were sleeping."

V.

ON THE METHOD OF MISSIONARY PROCEEDINGS AND TEACHING TRACEABLE IN THE BOOK OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.-NO. III.

In the Report published by the Calcutta Diocesan Committee S. P. G. F. P. for 1843-45, occurs the following passage :

"It would seem a remarkable feature in the extension of the Gospel " in our age, contrasted with early times, that, whereas then it so spread "and established itself in the cities, the seats of worldly wealth, and knowledge, and power, and splendour, that the very word pagan, or villager, came to signify, as now, an unbeliever, none but the pagans are "now believers."

Facts are strangely jumbled into errors in this short extract. It is true enough that, in early times, even in the earliest times, the Gospel had signal success in cities: but it is not true that it at the same time failed of success in the villages. One would think this must be evident to any reader of the remarkable passages from the early Apologists, and Pliny, Origen, Eusebius &c., which every common book of "Evidences," from Paley downwards, gives.

The writer, or compiler, of the Report, must have been led away by the etymology of Paganus now commonly received; but which will hardly stand the test of either classical or patristic Latinity, if by the "early times" be meant, as it is natural to understand by it, the times before Constantine's example and decrees had made Christianity fashionable.

"the

The writer of this present attempt at investigating Apostolic method of Missions" on the basis of the Book of Acts, believes that the above explanation of "Paganus" has Baronius for its chief authority, and has prevailed since he wrote. But he propounded it in writing of the times of Constantine and the effects of his decrees, if the references to him by D. F. A. Wolf and by Gothofried (on Cod. Theodos. xvi. 10.) be correct. The writer of these pages has not the means of verifying them. Gothofried, who gives nine different conjectures, sides apparently with Baronius; but it is evidently for want of distinguishing between the times before and the times after Constantine's example and enactments had taken effect. As to the really earliest times, the true idea of paganus was "civilian," and the contrast to it was miles, "soldier." Hence, in ecclesiastical Latin, believers

pa

being " soldiers of Christ," unbelievers were called gani." This, it is submitted, is excellently well established by D. Jo. Aug. Wolf in his "Dissertatio de Latinitate Ecclesiastica in Codice Theodosiano," which treatise being proba. bly but little known the extract given below may be accерtable.*

Much more might be alleged in proof that the position assumed in the Report above cited is erroneous; and that, contrariwise, in the earliest times, wherever the Gospel was received, "the common people," generally, "heard Christ gladly" (St. Mark xii. 37). But let it suffice, for the present, to ask what, otherwise, will become of such passages as that of St. Paul. 1 Cor. i. 26.

The occurrence however of the error now noted, in such a publication, seems remarkable; and suggests the question whether, as a straw on a stream, it do not show how lamentably little sound learning or knowledge of Christian Antiquities is now a days brought to bear on the subject of Missions to the Heathen.

But, despite the confusion of ideas in the passage quoted, it certainly brings before us a great fact, which we have already noticed in a preceding number, and which does stand singularly in contrast with modern proceedings; the fact, namely, that the first, and to all appearance the main, efforts of the first preachers of the Gospel were directed on the cities. The contrast lies, however and therefore, not so much

*

Pagani vocantur a religione Christiana alieni, deastrorum ac simulacrorum cultores, qui quasi non sunt milites Christi; Cod. Theodos. xvi. 10. 1-2; atque alibi saepissime. Nam Paganus proprie in antiqua latinitate opponi militibus, et esse qui non mereant stipendia, luculenta loca, Suetonii in Octav. xxviii. in Galba xix. Plin. Epist. x. 18, &c. facile quemque docuerint. [Add Juv. Sat. xvi. &c. &c. given in Facciolati Lex.]† Itaque scriptores ecclesiastici, auctoritate sacrorum, homines Christianos στρατίωτας Χριστου appellare, et στρατεύεσθαι iisdem attribuere solitorum (2 Tim. II. 3; 2 Cor. x. 3) inducti, eos qui veluti militiæ Christianæ nomen haud dedissent dicere cœperunt paganos, h. e. quasi ἀστρατεύτους, qui non essent milites Christi. Etenim quod vulgo jactitant id nomen gentilibus ideo datum esse, quod iis, a Constantino Magno Urbe ejectis, non nisi in pagis veterem superstitionem persequi licuisset, id profecto vel eo videtur posse refutari, quod jam apud Tertullianum, latinitatis ecclesiasticæ velut patrem (de Cor. Mil. xi. 7) appellatio paganorum in eleganti dilogiâ deprehenditur; ad quem locum vide Della Cerda in Commentt. &c. &c.

D. Jo. Aug. Wolf, ut supra.

Lipsiae, 1774 (In Pott's Syllog. Dissertationum).

† In Smith's recent Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities a reference is given to [the Pseudo?] Isidorus, which the writer of these pages has not the means of examining.