115

HYMNS AND POETICAL RECREATIONS.

THOUGHTS ON A STAR-LIGHT EVENING.

BEAUTEOUS Sparklers! as ye roll

Silently from pole to pole,
Still ye speak a language true,
While ye glide before our view.

Yes, ye tell that power divine
Caus'd your radiant orbs to shine-
Gave each gem its destin'd place
In the boundless fields of space.

Since the morn, when God's right hand
Stretch'd the sceptre of command
O'er the deepen'd gloom of night,
Bringing all your hosts to light.

Ye have kept the track design'd
In the Almighty Maker's mind-
Never have your footsteps stray'd
From the path his hand had made.

But can man, his image, say
That e'er since his natal day,
He has liv'd and follow'd still
His Almighty Father's will?

No! that image once imprest
Fair and perfect on his breast,
Teaching him to look on high,
Claiming kindred with the sky,

Now by pride and sin defil'd,

Shows him error's wandering child—
Prone to leave the God of love,
Negligent of joys above.

Yet a ransom has been paid,
And a full atonement made:
Bound to earth by earthly ties,
Shall we slight the sacrifice?

Xise! oh! rise on wings sublime-
Think not of the joys of time-
Take the proffer'd gift, and be

Blessed through eternity.

H. N.

TO A BIRD

That was never heard to sing after the death of its companion in a neighbouring cage.

POOR prisoner! where is now the note

So blithe, that wak'd the loit'ring day?
The song with which thou erst wert wont
To wile thy captive hours away?

"Twas not thy prison bars that still'd
The voice of pleasure in thy breast—

Nor thought of liberty bereav'd,

Thy note of melody suppress'd.

While one thou lov'st could list thy song
'Twas nought to thee the woodland shade—

Encaged, and captive as thou wert,

Thou still wert gay and still wert glad.

But now thy little breast is sad

And cold, since what thou lov'st is gone—

And now thy blithful note is heard

No more-for now thou art alone.

From morn to night with restless wing
I see thee flit thy prison round,
As if the thing thou'st lov'd and lost,
Might somewhere even yet be found.

Methinks thy melancholy eye
Looks sadly on the cruel bar
That will not let thee go thy way
In search of one that is afar.

But not a note has ever stolen

Forth from thy breast since she was gone,

Nor ever song shall more be heard

From thee-for now thou art alone.

Poor prisoner! many a bosom bound
In earthly chains thy mourning shares-
And many a song beside thine own

Is hush'd in solitude and tears.

They must not go, though fain they would
To be where those they love are gone—
Compell'd for many a joyless year

To stay, where now they are alone.

We'll sing no more on earth, sweet bird,
Where none we love will listen now,

Till he who robb'd us of our joy

Return and take our sorrow too.

They'll open then our prison doors,

And we shall lay our fetters down-
Nor we, nor thou, poor bird, shall weep
Or mourn because we are alone.

THE LONELY STAR.

THE twilight was closing in darkness profound,
The lines of the cliff were distinguish'd no more—
Nor aught was discern'd save the white foam of ocean,
That boil'd from the waves as they broke on the shore.

The wild winds were chasing the clouds through the heavens,
As in haste to be rid of the last gleam of light;

And fleetly they closed o'er each tremulous orb
That essay'd to look out on so fearful a night.

When high in the heavens one pale, single star,
Flitting fast through the vapour was shining alone—
Her faint lamp was burning so humid, so dim,

It seem'd she was weeping for those that were gone.

"And wherefore, thou lone one, thus loiter behind,
"In a darkness that yields not to beams such as thine?
"What pity impels thee, that still thou art here

"Where nothing beside thee has courage to shine?

"Methinks thou art like to earth's flattering hope, "A thing ill-befitting the heart where it dwells, "Which deaf to the reason that bids it away,

"Shines on through a darkness it never dispels :

"Shines on through adversity's fast-growing night,

"The watch-light of hearts that look off from it never, "As if it in pity forbore to depart

"From a world that without it were darkness for ever."

'Twas thus that I whisper'd and bade it farewell,

For I saw where the clouds were pursuing it fast, And I thought that ere long, like the hope it resembled, The smile of my lone star would surely be past.

I left it awhile, and I sought it again,

And again, and again, but it still was not gone— The darkness increas'd, and the tempest grew loud, But the lamp of my lone star was still shining on.

The clouds gather'd round her, the clouds pass'd her o'er, And her cheek grew more pale as they flitted across— And sometimes a moment she seem'd to be gone,

But brighten'd again ere I sigh'd for her loss.

Ah! surely, thou lone one, I liken'd thee ill

There's nothing on earth is so constant as thou—
There's no smile of hope by this cold world enkindled,
But sorrow protracted will chase from our brow,

I will liken thee rather to that brilliant hope,
Secure as the mercy by which it is lighted,
Unfailing when all is in darkness around,

Fair star of a bosom alone and benighted

Shining on, when each promise of earth has been broken, And sorrow has left us no beacon beside

Shining on, when the dark pass of death must be trodden, In seerch of a bliss that the world has denied.

BAKER AND SON, PRINTERS, SOUTHAMPTON,

THE

ASSISTANT OF

EDUCATION.

MARCH, 1824.

A SKETCH OF GENERAL HISTORY.
(Continued from page 72.)

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HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITES FROM THE DEATH OF JOSHUA TO THE DEATH OF DAVID.

JOSHUA at his death appointed no general to succeed him, and during the time they remained in peace,-how long it was we are not informed,-the Hebrews seem to have had no supreme governor. Probably the magistrates of the different tribes, or the Levites and High Priests administered the laws of Moses at this period, and during several other intervals in which there was no ruling prince. Indeed there scarcely seemed to need one-since no law could be made or abrogated, nor any thing undertaken, but by the express command of God. And it was only on particular occasions, when something was to be done or to be reformed, that a supreme magistrate was elected under the title of Judge, to take precedence of all the rest. And this sort of interrupted rule continued with the Judges till the government of Israel became monarchical.

Meantime the nation increased in population, and wanting room perhaps, began in different parts to renew the war, in order to get possession of the remainder of the land that had been allotted them. In arms they were as usual successful-but the pious Joshua was dead, and the elders his contemporaries were dead, and by degrees