Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

lation of Juvenal, which Mr. Gifford has recently given to the world, would have confecrated his name to the homage of remote posterity, even had no other production ferved as its precurfor to fame. The fatires of Juvenal are juftly ranked among the best productions of the ancient poets, and, "taken for all in all,” are not inferior to any. Yet it was not until the beginning of the feventeenth century that a complete tranflation of Juvenal was attempted; and even then the verfions of Sir Robert Stapylton and Barten Holyday were the only means by which an unlearned reader could obtain a glimpse of the literary treafures of the Roman fatirift, for a period of nearly an hundred years, when Dryden's tranflation appeared. With the character of this tranflation every reader must be fufficiently acquainted. Dr. Johnfon has faid of it, "that it preferves the wit, but wants the dignity of Juvenal!" Without inquiring whether the Doctor meant to convey praise or cenfure by this character, we are clearly of opinion that a want of Juvenal's dignity, cannot be atoned for by any other merit in his tranflator. But it is not neceffary to discuss the merits of former translations for a deduction of the neceffity of Mr. Gifford's, as we have seen that other motives than the public fervice first urged him to the task, ftimulated its progrefs, and decided its publication. It might be deemed arrogant in us to pronounce judgment on a performance fo lately in the hands of the public; we will therefore reftrain thofe expreffions of admiration and applaufe which would flow "trippingly from our tongue," fenfible that the judgment of pofterity will do ample justice to the "Juvenal of OUR age."

Since this article was begun to be written, the nobleman to whom Mr. Gifford perfonally, and on his account the British public generally, owe boundless obligations, has left our world. We could wish it were engraven on his tomb"HERE LIES

THE PATRON OF WILLIAM GIFFORD." Alas! how few among our degenerated and degenerating nobles can claim fo proud an epitaph! ONE however remains, of whom the poet himself has thus fung:

"Yet one remains, ONE NAME forever dear,
With whom, converfing many a happy year,
I mark'd with fecret joy the opening bloom
Of virtue, prefcient of the fruits to come,
Truth-honour-rectitude-"
X

Vol. I. No. 4.

It is needless to add, that the nobleman alluded to was Lord BELGRAVE, now the Earl of Grosvenor.

Blessed with such a friend, the fubject of these memoirs is safely fheltered from the storms of life, in an harbour which affords him competence, tranquillity, and refpect. In the fociety of the first characters in this country for rank, talents, and taste, does the ci-devant cabin-boy of the Two Brothers mingle, as in a fphere for which nature evidently defigned him. Contrasting, therefore, the origin of William Gifford with his prefent eminence in fociety, we may describe the emancipation of his genius in the fame words as Pope defcribes the liberation of the foul by death, and say,

"As into air the purer fpirits flow,

And sep❜rate from their kindred dregs below,

So flew the foul to its CONGENIAL PLACE."

IN

For the MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY.

A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF

POCAHONTAS.

the wildest scenes of nature have been found her most engaging beauties. The defert fmiles with roses, and savage society sometimes exhibits the graces of humanity.

Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, with the colour and the charms of Eve, at the age of fifteen, when nature acts with all her powers, and fancy begins to wander, had a heart, that palpitated with warm affections. At this time, Captain Smith, one of the first fettlers of Virginia, was brought a captive to her father's kingdom. Smith was by nature endowed with perfonal graces, that intereft the female mind. He mingled feeling with heroifm, and his countenance was an index of his foul. Pocahontas had never before beheld fuch a human being, and her heart yielded homage to the empire of love. In the first interview fhe looked all fhe felt, and like Dido, hung entranced on the face and lips of the gallant man.

An interesting occurrence foon afforded an opportunity of exhibiting her affections. Powhatan and his council of Sachems

[ocr errors]

had refolved on the death of Smith. A huge ftone was rolled before the affembled chiefs. Smith was produced, and the executioners with knotty clubs furrounded him. The moment of his fate had arrived; his head was laid upon the rock, and the arms of cruelty were raised! At this moment Pocahontas darted through the band of warriors; fhe placed her cheek on Smith's, and the fame blow would have decided both their destinies. The heart of an Indian is not made of coarfer materials than ours. Powhatan caught the feelings of his daughter, and fympathy with Pocahontas procured a pardon for his prifoner. Charmed with her fuccefs fhe hung wildly on the neck of the reprieved victim, while excess of joy checked the utterance of her affections.

Smith indulged all the fentiments of gratitude. He had not a heart for love. With a spirit of enterprife, he afpired to great and laudable achievements. The pleasure of fofter paffions he relinquished to the imbecility of gentler natures. He coldly thought of the advantages to be derived from the ardent affection of Pocahontas, and grounded his pretences of mutual love on the calculations of interest.

After feven weeks' captivity, Smith returned to Jamestown, his fettlement in Virginia. By his Indian guides he fent pref ents to Pocahontas, which the hopes of love regarded as the teftimonial of returned affection. The conftructions of the heart are governed by its wifhes, and fancy is ready with its eloquence to gain faith to all the dreams of deluding fondness.

At the return of Smith to his colony, he found them in want and despair. He encouraged them by engaging descriptions of the country, and disconcerted a scheme for abandoning the wilds of Virginia. An interefting event ftrengthened the refolution he had infpired. Pocahontas appeared in the fort with the richest presents of benevolence. With all the charms of nature and the best fruits of the earth, fhe refembled the Goddess of Plenty with her cornucopia. Even Smith indulged, for a while, his fofter feelings; and, in the romantic receffes of uncultured walks, liftened to the warm effufions of his Indian maid. She fighed, and fhe wept; and found folace in his tears of tenderness, which feemed to her the flow of love.

Soon after, Pocahontas gave a stronger proof of her affection. Powhatan had made war upon the colonists, and had laid his warriors in ambush, so artfully, that Smith and his party must have been destroyed. To fave the man fhe loved, in a night of ftorm and thunder, Pocahontas wandered through the wilds and woods to the camp of Smith, and apprized him of his danger. Love feems the fupreme arbiter of human conduct, and, like Hortenfia, forgets the brother, and the father, when opposed to the fortunes of her favourite.

A dangerous wound, which Captain Smith accidentally received, rendered his return to England neceffary. He felt the pangs his abfence would inflict on the heart of his Indian maid, and concerted a scheme for impreffing her with full belief of his death. The next time Pocahontas vifited the camp, she was led to the pretended grave of Smith, and deluded with the dying profeffions of her lover. Imagination will picture the forrows of fo fond a heart. Untutored nature knows none of the shackles of refinement, and violence of paffion finds expreffion. The grave of Smith was the favourite haunt of Pocahontas. Here fhe lingered away the hours, here fhe told her love, and fcattered her favourite flowers. One evening, as fhe was reclining in melancholy on the turf, that covered her lover, fhe was furprised at the presence of a man. Rolfe had seen and gazed upon the charming nymph, and indulged for her all that ardour of romantic paffion, which Smith had excited in her breaft. He was penfively bewailing his hopeless love, when Pacahontas stole away in fhade and filence to perform her duties to the dead. Surprise, terror, and forrow fufpended in her the powers of life, and the funk lifelefs into the arms of the fortunate admirer. Could he forbear a warm embrace to one he loved fo well, or was eloquence wanted to charm away her blushes at the return of life? Affection had too often repeated her leffons to the woods and wilds to be dumb at fuch a crifis. Pocahontas listened with fympathy-he wiped away the tear, that fwelled in her eye. Despair yielded to enlivened hopes, and fhe indulged him in the ardent careffes of contagious love. They talked down the moon, and the fong of the mocking-bird became faint, before Pacahontas could escape from the vows and arms of her lover to the cabin of her companions.

Powhatan had none of the partiality of his daughter for the English; and a ftratagem was formed to seize Pocahontas in order to induce her father to adopt an equitable mode of conduct. Rolfe did not regret the fuccefs of this ungenerous scheme. Through wilds and woods, and at the hazard of his life, he had ventured to fee her. He now enjoyed her fmiles in fafety, and received new confidence from being chofen by her, as her protector. He continued however always as refpectful, as affectionate, and while he foothed her into tranquillity, gave but new proofs of fidelity. His heart was as pure, as hers was fond.

At length Netanquas arrived at the fort with provifions to ranfom his fifter. He had faved the life of Rolfe in one of his excurfions to meet Pocahontas; and to him the lover applied in the prefence of his Indian maid, to gain Powhatan's confent to. his union with his daughter. Pocahontas melted into foftnefs at this declaration of the accomplished Englishman, and her blufhing acquiefcence was fanctioned by the approbation of her father. Their marriage foon followed-Happy inftance of the perfeverance of virtuous affection! The prejudices of education yielded to the honest impulses of the heart. The raven treffes and the tawny cheek of Pocahontas were no difparagements to the dignity of her foul or the generofity of her nature. Through this veil Rolfe difcovered a thousand virtues, and his love was rewarded with their poffeffion.

For years Rolfe refided in the wilds of nature, and in fociety with his Indian princefs. Fond of folitude, fhe became the dear companion of his retirement. In the moments of leisure he initiated her in the wonders of science, and the mysteries of religion. In return fhe refpected him for his talents and his virtues; and added gratitude for improvement to love for love. A fon was the fole fruit of their union, from whom defcends the nobility of Virginia, the Randolphs and Bowlings.

In 1616, Rolfe arrived in England with Pocahontas. At London, she was introduced to James I. The king rebuked her for defcending from the dignity of royalty fo far as to marry a plebeian. But the ladies of the court and the nobility of the kingdom regarded her with refpe&t and affection; and fought to render her happy, by all the blandifhments of refinement. She foon learned the manners of the great, and in her

« AnteriorContinuar »