Explicit P. P. Ed Feb. Mdeeexxi.

Our Gosport friend's Greek translation of the same song, beginning

Ει Ορατίου Φλάκκου περι θειου ιακχου

πολλαι αγαθαι ωδαι μενωσιν.

is not good. We perceive, that like Platonist Taylor, he puts no accents to his Greek-we fear for the same reason.-C. N.

* Deest, one syllable. Vide Carey, p. 171.

A Running Commentary on the Ritter Bann.*

THERE is, we must say, a dirty spirit of rivalry afloat at present among the various periodicals, from which ours only, and Mr. Nichols', the two Gentleman's Magazines, are exempt. You never see the Quarterly praising the lucubrations of the Edinburgh-far less the Edinburgh extolling those of the Quarterly. Old Monthly and New Monthly are in cat-and-dog opposition. Sir Richard† exclaims that they have robbed him of his good name-while Tom Campbell is ready to go before his Lordship of Waithman to swear that that was an impossibility. There is, besides, a pair of Europeans boxing it out with most considerable pluck; and we are proud to perceive our good friend Letts of Cornhill bearing himself boldly in the fight. The Fancy Gazette disparages the labours of the illustrious Egan-and Pierce is equally savage on the elegancies of Jon Bee.‡ A swarm of twopennies gallops over the land ready to eat one another, so as, like the Irishman's rats in a cage, to leave only a single tail behind. We, out of this turmoil and scuffle, as if from a higher region, look down, calm and cool. Unprejudiced by influence, and uninfluenced by prejudice, we keep along the even tenor of our way. We dispute not, neither do we quarrel. If the golden wheels of our easy-going chariot, in its course, smooth sliding without step, crush to atoms any person who is unlucky enough Let to come under their precious weight, it is no fault of ours. him blame destiny, and bring his action against the Parcæ.

ours.

So far are we from feeling any thing like hostility, spite, envy, hatred, malice, or uncharitableness, that we rejoice at the rare exhibition of talent whenever it occurs in a publication similar to We do our utmost to support the cause of periodical literature in general. But for our disinterested exertions, the Ed*Among the very worst poems written by Thomas Campbell was a sort of ballad called The Ritter Bann." It was too tempting to escape the notice of Maginn, who wrote this severe word-criticism on it, in Blackwood for April, 1824.-M.

+ Sir Richard Phillips, publisher and editor of the Monthly Magazine. — M. Jon Bec, author of a Slang Dictionary, edited a sporting paper, in opposi"to Pierce Egan's Life in London. - M.

inburgh Review would have been long sinee unheard of. For many years we perpetuated the existence of the old Scots Magazine, by mentioning it in our columns. Finding it, however, useless to persevere, we held our peace concerning it; it died, and a word from us again restored it to life and spirit, so that Jeffrey steals from it all his Spanish literature. We took notice of the Examiner long after every other decent person said a word about it. Our exertions on behalf of the Scotsman were so great, that the learned writers of that paper pray for us on their bended knees. But it would be quite useless, or rather impossible, for us to go over all our acts of kindness. We have, indeed, reaped the benefit, for never since the creation of the world was any Magazine so adored by every body as ours is. It is, indeed, carried at times to an absurd, nay, we must add, a blameable length, for we must exclaim with the old poet:

"If to adore an idol is idolatry,
Sure to adore a book is bibliolatry."

An impiety to be avoided.

In pursuance of our generous system, we here beg leave to call the attention of our readers to a poem in the last New Monthly Magazine, written by the eminent editor of that celebrated periodical, and advertised, before its appearance, with the most liberal prodigality of puffing, in all the papers. Mr. Campbell is advantageously known to the readers of poetry, a very respectable body of young gentlemen and ladies, as the author of the Pleasures of Hope, Gertrude of Wyoming, Lochiel's Warning, O'Connor's Child, and other pleasant performances, which may be purchased at the encouraging price of three and sixpence sterling, at the stalls of the bibliopolists of High Holborn. But the poem which he has lately contributed to the pages of the New Monthly, outshines these compositions of his more crude and juvenile days.

"Velut inter ignes

Luna minores.".

It is entitled the Ritter Bann, and we do not know how we can bestow a more acceptable compliment on our readers, than by analysing this elegant effusion.

What the words Ritter Bann mean, is not at once open to every

capacity, and they have unfortunately given rise to the most indefensible puns and quizzes in the world. But we, who despise such things, by a due consultation of dictionaries, lexicons, onomasticons, word-books, vocabularies, and other similar treatises, discovered that Ritter, in the Teutonic tongue, as spoken in High Germany, signifies Rider, or Knight-Bann is merely a man's name, the hero being son of old Bann, Esq., of

place, Glamorganshire. Why a Welsh knight should be called by a German title, we cannot immediately conjecture; but suppose it adopted from euphonious principles of melting melody. Let the reader say the words-Ritter Bann-Ritter BannRitter Bann-to himself, with the assistance of a chime of good bells, such as those of Saint Pancras, Saint Mary Overy, Saint Sepulchre's, opposite Newgate, Saint Botolph's, Aldgate, Saint Clement Dane's, Saint Dunstan's, in Fleet Street, not to mention various provincial utterers of Bob Majors; and he must be struck with the fine rumbling clang, and sit down to drink his Burton at 3d. the nip, with increased satisfaction.

So far for the title. Listen now to the exordium.

"The Ritter Bann from Hungary

Came back, renown'd in arms,

But scorning jousts of chivalry,

And love and ladies' charms.

While other knights held revelry, he
Was wrapt"-

in what? Surtout? Roquelaure? Poodle Benjamin ?. bangup? doblado? frock? wraprascal? No, no!

What then? Sheet? blanket? quilt? coverlet? counterpane? No? What then? Why

-"in thoughts of gloom,

And in Vienna's hostelrie

Slow paced his lonely room."

This is a very novel and original character in our now-a-days poetry.

"There entered one whose face he knew,

Whose voice, he was aware,

He oft at mass had listen'd to,

In the holy house of prayer."

Who is this fine fellow? Wait a moment and you will be

told.

""Twas the Abbot of Saint James's monks,

A fresh and fair old man."

Fresh no doubt, for you will soon learn he comes in good

season.

"His reverend air arrested even

The gloomy Ritter Bann;

But seeing with him an ancient dame,
Come clad in Scotch attire,

The Ritter's colour went and came,

And loud he spoke in ire:

'Ha! nurse of her that was my bane—'"

Here Campbell's Scoticism has got the better of him. The lady of whom the Ritter speaks is his wife, who, in Caledonia's dialect, is said to be bane of a man's bane; but in English we always say bone of my bone. We hope Thomas the Rhymer will anglicise the phrase in the next edition.

"Name not her name to me,

I wish it blotted from my brain:
Art poor? take alms and flee !"'

A very neat and pretty turn-out as any old lady would wish of a summer's morning; but it won't do.

For

"Sir Knight,' the Abbot interposed,
'This case your ear demands!'

And the crone cried, with a cross enclosed
In both her trembling hands-

Read that second last line again. "The Crone Cried with a Cross enClosed!" Oh! Pack: send the Razor Grinder. What do you say to that? We can only match it by one passage of Pantagruel. Lesquelles [the frozen words] ensemblement fondues, ouysmes hin, hin, hin, hin, his, ticque, torche, longue, bredelin, bredelac, frr, frrr, frrrr, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, trace, trr, trr, trr, trrr, trrrr, trrrrr, on, on, on, on, ouououounon, goth, magoth. "And the Crone cried with a cross enclosed,"

"Remember each his sentence waits,

And he who would rebut!!

Sweet Mercy's suit, on him the gates
Of mercy shall be shut!"

The Abbot proceeds to give our friend Ritter some novel infor

mation.