other light than the executive of a sembly may all be tracedto one cuase; dæmonized democracy, "But the most fatal step," says Mr. Alison, "and that which rendered all the others irreparable was, the great number of revolutionary interests which they created. By transferring political power into new and inexperienced hands, who valued the acquisition in proportion to their unfitness to exercise it, by creat ing a host of new proprietors, dependent upon the new system for their existence; by placing the armed and civil force entirely at the disposal of the populace, they founded lasting interests upon the fleeting favours of the moment, and perpetuated the march of revolution, when the people would willingly have reverted to a monarchical government." For the present we shall conclude in the words of our author, which cannot be too deeply pondered either by sovereigns or subjects. "The errors of the Constituent As the evils of despotism were recent, and had been experienced, those of democracy remote and hitherto unfelt. No such excuse will remain for any subsequent legislature. If the French Rehas conferred a lasting blessing on volution had done nothing else, it mankind, by exposing the consequences of hasty innovation, and writing in characters of blood the horrors of anarchy that a dreadful lesson has not been taught on the page of history. Let us hope in vain; that a whole generation has not perished under the guillotine, or been crushed beneath the car of ambition, only to make way for a repetition of their errors by future ages; and that from the sanguinary annals of its sufferings, the great truth may be learned, that true wisdom consists in repairing, not in destroying, and that nothing can retard the march of freedom, but the violence of its supporters." VOL. I. STANZAS. If but to breathe a prayer to shed a tear, I would not by thy presence soothe my pain. When parted first from all I learned to love; A willing captive, 'twas content to wear The chain that bound its every thought to thee. I trusted still that thou would'st learn to feel I was not worthy of thee and I woke Too late, alas! from my delusive dream ; Nor for a moment did I dare upbraid They told me thou wert dead-if angels e'er 40 LOVE AND LOYALTY. Of all the counterfeits performed by man, A soldier makes the simplest Puritan." CENTLIVRE. The difficulties which De Lacy had to encounter, were such as, under any other circumstances, would have justified Sir Everard Ashley's determination to have no hand in the undertaking. The distance from Oxford to Basing was forty miles; on his right hand were the strong holds of the enemy at Abingdon and Reading, whose active patrols were incessantly scouring the country, and on his left at Newberry, lay a large body of the Parliament's horse, not less diligent. Thus, should they, at the best prove successful in their main object, their safe return to Oxford was extremely doubtful. With a mind fully capable of appreciating these dangers, and a spirit fitted to meet and to subdue them, De Lacy during the short march, turned his attention to Winchester, as a point on which he might not only fall back, in case his return to Oxford should be intercepted, but from whence, even at the present late period, he might receive reinforcement and co-operation. With Sir William Ogle, the governor, he was personally acquainted, and he resolved on sending a despatch thither, which was to rejoin him at Basing. On reaching the wood, the men had been made to unarm, the horse were picquetted, and every precaution taken to refresh both, it being De Lacy's intention to lie by during the day, to avoid the heat, as well as the danger of interception, and prosecute his march in the cool of the evening, by which method he had calculated on reaching Basing about one or two o'clock on Wednesday morning. In one of several leafy bowers, hastily constructed with branches of trees for accommodation of the officers, our hero held conference with his friends Webb, Bunckley, the three Oxonians, and the hum ble and faithful partizan Smallcraft; of this conference Father Denis was a silent but attentive auditor. “I have sent for you, Smallcraft," said De Lacy, "to be present at this discussion, not only because I have a high opinion of your fidelity and intelligence, but also that Colonel Bunckley informs me that you have been heretofore acquainted with much of this country." "With thanks for your good opinion, brave Sir, I know some parts of it indifferently well,” replied Smallcraft, “tho’ it is a long time since my old master was a vast intimate of the late Squire Forrester of Aldermaston, and I often followed the hounds with him in that part of the country" No readier way of acquiring a knowledge of it,” observed De Lacy. It was eventually settled, that Smallcraft, Lester, and Trevanion, who professed a knowledge of the country, should proceed with the despatch to Winchester. “1," said De Lacy, "will add one more to your party, whom, should you unfortunately have occasion for his services, you will find useful." Then turning to a soldier who was at hand, he desired him to send Jan Schontz to them. "In the way," continued De Lacy, the country between us and Winchester is occupied, it would be impossible for you in your present garbs to reach it undiscovered, though it was not with a view to this particular purpose, I provided those which may give you safe conduct." Jan Schontz now made his appearance; he was somewhat in the capacity of Sergeant of the Queen's Dutchmen-a man not more than of middle size, but no one scarcely could pass him unheeding, his bone and muscular power were so much out of the common, Where is the bag I charged you with?"-Jan disappeared without 66 a word. "That is the man," said De Lacy, "whom I mean to accompany you, gentlemen; keep him but sober, and of all men I ever met with, I would soonest have him at my back on an emergency." "He shall be carefully looked to in that respect," said Lester, and the person spoken of returned with the bag, which contained conical crowned hats, short black cloaks and grey scarfs. I command you on an impossibility, convert yourselves into traitors-the cavalier must be sunk in the roundhead, and true men though you be at heart, you must for a season outwardly play the hypocrite. Schontz, you will place yourself under the command of this gentleman," (pointing to Lester) "and obey his orders." Jan was at best a man of few words, and moreover spoke little or no English, but to one who knew him as well as De Lacy did, he had a method of signifying himself, which was by an emphatic pull up of his unmentionables, and which meant almost as much as the answer of a celebrated Prime Minister to his royal Mistress" If it is possible, it is done; and if it is impossible it shall be done.”—“ You will also carefully recollect," continued De Lacy, that unless you are specially spoken to by this gentleman (meaning Lester) you must not open your lips on any occasion, while engaged on this particular service." A violent pantomimic pull, as before mentioned, announced that Jan had taken leave of the power of speech for the time being. "God speed and guide you my friends," said our provident commander, "spare not the spur, for I have particularly requested Sir William Ogle to provide you with fresh horses" then apart to Lester, "take care of the Dutchman, and, if need befalls, he will take care of you-you cannot use too much caution in rejoining me at Basing, speed your present errand how it may." Having received the despatch, they rode off at a round rate, and De Lacy continued anxiously watching them until they were out of sight. He then returned to his woodland tent, and directing the sentinel to call him at 12 o'clock, he courted the rest which he so much stood in need of. When the hour of noon arrived the men were put under arms, and their commander proceeded to a fresh disposition of his force, rendered necessary by the fortunate junction with Bunckley. He divided the horse, now amounting to about two hundred and seventy, into two equal divisions, the separate commands of which were given to Webb and Bunckley, reserving the twenty already mentioned, and now officered by Courtnay, as a kind of guard; his foot, three hundred effective and well-disciplined men, he commanded himself. They broke up from the wood at half-past two, and still declining the direct road by Pangbourn, kept through the lanes to the right of Basildown, and skirting the hamlet and park of Engilfield, held on to Beenham, the horse taking up the footmen behind them, by turns, and thus they moved with the greater celerity. Here under cover of the thick woods, they remained while a picquet was sent forward to reconnoitre the high road between Newberry and Reading, which being reported all clear, they pushed on for Aldermaston, and reached that beautiful village at half-past five o'clock in the evening. Here half an hour's delay took place, in order to refresh the horses, and procure white scarfs for Bunckley's reinforcement, in doing which De Lacy learned from the cloth merchant, who was well affected to the Royal cause, and who told it as “a secret worth knowing," that a party of four Roundheads, well armed and mounted, had passed through at ten o'clock in the morning with great speed, and had taken the road towards Winchester. Cheered with the knowledge that his despatch had crossed the highroad between Reading and Newberry unmolested, and hoping for the best, he directed his march towards Basing, through Baughurst, which though the longer was the least frequented route. Now, good man and true, as he undoubtedly was, Jan Schontz had a failing of which De Lacy was not aware, for, no one was fonder than honest Jan of entwining the myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine," and as in the true spirit of a soldier, he always literally obeyed his orders, he went not a whit beyond. It so befel that as the small party passed the Hind's-head, in the aforesaid little town, there was a comely wench twirling her mop at the door, and whether it was that Jan thought that the gallantry of his profession would have been compromised if he had passed without noticing her, he not only gave a courteous wave of his "Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles." the flying admiration she had excited. Your soldier is a sad moralist in the way of love, and Jan reminds us of a verse of a song we have somewhere or other met with "A gallant soldier, frank and free, Small sinner and no saint A Puritan's hypocrisy By beauty's glance was made to fly But, oh, whene'er he got the route, In a corner of the bow-window of the neatly-sanded parlour, and hidden by a flower-stand crowded with myrtles and geraniums, sat Solas Rabishaw, stirring a stone pint jug of cyder with a sprig of hyssop. Attracted by the staid demeanor of Smallcraft, whose time-marked countenance had been selected to lead the van, while Schontz brought up the rear, he hastily swallowed his draught and hurried to the door, which he reached in time to observe the Dutchman's telegraphic flirtation. "The way with you all!" said the girl to Rabishaw, whom she detested, "Saint and sinner-give me a good jolly Cavalier for my money.' Peace, vain damsel," replied Solas, "bring forth my horse." Then, to himself, "Wolves in sheep's clothing, I must arise and be doing." So saying he, fast as he could, got into the sad dle, without even waiting for the change of a half-crown piece which he had tendered for his reckoning. "These rooks are after no good," said the girl; "three years has this old hunks been coming to this house, and I never saw the colour of his money before, and now here are eighteen pence!" Rabishaw pricked away at a round pace, and in about half an hour's riding, caught sight of the party, upon whose track he hung with the sagacity and perseverance of a slow hound, until he fairly saw them into Winchester, when turning his horse to the left, he made with all speed for Arlesford, which he reached not long after Lester had delivered his mission to Sir Wm. Ogle. Whence art thou, approved in good works?" said Colonel Jesse Miller, as Rabishaw pulled up his foaming steed at the iron gate of a large brick house close by the Church at Old Arlesford, "thou comest with the wings of the wind." "Even so, esteemed,” replied Solas: "verily I say unto thee, thou art chosen to a good deed." A servant having taken charge of the horse, they passed into the house. Sir Marmaduke Estcourt had truly characterised him, when he designated Rabishaw an active agent. His zeal, which arose to the height of fanaticism, knew no bounds, and he was in the confidence of the different leaders of the parliamentary forces, whose services brought them into the part of the country where he resided, and with which, from the nature of his occupation, he was widely and well acquainted. Aware of the dangers incident to the office of a spy, there was scarcely a town throughout that part of the country in which he had not confidential and well-paid agents, among whom was the jailer at the Devizes, who, in order to avoid suspicion, having given the key of the cell in which Rabishaw was placed to the soldier appointed to guard him, immediately liberated his prisoner by means of a trap-door, well concealed by one of the flags, and induced the hostler, who acted as guide to Prince Maurice, by means of a bribe, to forward his purpose. The consciousness of his safety had induced Rabishaw to taunt that Prince, who, as nephew to the King, was particularly odious to the fierce republican. On the present occasion he had been to Newberry, with a letter from Colonel Norton to the officer who commanded the dragoons stationed there, and was refreshing himself and horse at Aldermaston, when Jan Schontz's ill-timed gallantry excited his hawk-eyed suspicion, and induced him to follow De Lacy's despatch. "What bearest thou in hand, trusty and beloved?" said Colonel Miller, as Solas Rabishaw locked the door of a small study into which they had entered, "What seekest thou?""The Mideonites are abroad," replied Rabishaw, "But now as I tarried awhile at Aldermaston, in the house of the sinner, I espied them like unto wolves in sheep's clothing, in the habits of our people; but the leaven of iniquity, even the deadly lust of the flesh declared them unto me." "Whence and whither are they?" demanded Miller. *I did note them into Winchester," replied Rabishaw, "from Oxford doubt less, or thitherward: our shepherds They keep strict watch on the main road they must have journied through the by-ways." For what purpose are they in force?" said Miller. are even but four," answered the zealous malignant, " verily, they seek to undo the good work which our Captain hath perfected; they devise the enlargement of the mighty Heathen. Arise, therefore, and gird thyself; yea, their own craftiness hath confounded them. Obey the words of my mouth, and I will deliver them bound unto thee." "I may not," said Colonel Miller, "move my small force without especial command, therefore, which verily I did think thou hadst brought unto me; but seeing they are but few, I will hearken unto thee; eight trusty warriors will I grant unto thy prayer." This was soon done, and Rabishaw, mounted on a fresh horse, set on towards Basing in furtherance of his dsign. CHAPTER XI. "Oh, treachery! fly-good Fleance, fly!" Colonel Sir William Ogle was unable to spare to De Lacy any reinforcement from his own scanty garrison, but he supplied Lester and his companions with fresh horses. Lester, when refreshments were brought up, was not unmindful of Jan Schontz, and directed that he should not get any liquor stronger than a single draught of single beer. The pursy old Chamberlain said nothing until he got outside the door-" A draught of single beer, forsooth, this is the way with those haughty young whipsters. He can take a flask of Malmsey or Bordeaux himself, I warrant me, while the poor foreign devil may die of thirst! but I'll have him to know that such is not the custom of Sir William Ogle's household, Marry! I could not look a Christian in the face and be after МАСВЕТИ. giving a way-worn man single beer, excepting he be a malignant." After this soliloquy, which bespoke those good old times, when private economy and political economy had prevailed as now, in old England, the Chamberlain proceeded to his office of hospitality; and instead of the single draught of single beer, he sent Jan a black-jack containing a gallon of the oldest double October he could find in a cellar renowned for its excellence, and to which Jan Schontz, who had only been commanded to abstain from speech, did entire justice. Smallcraft had experienced the comforts of the housekeeper's room in moderation; and all parties being thus recruited in spirits, if not in number, they assembled to depart, and after brief conference as to the route which would least expose |