When Orpheus played a lesson to the brutes, The listening savages; the speckled pard Dandled the kid, and with the bounding roe The lion gambolled. GANDERETTA'S DANCING; ITS MAGNIFICENT EFFECT ON But what heavenly muse The nymph attracts, and every heart she wounds,- THE GAMES. THE BAGPIPES. THE MASTER OF THE RING. To the loud bagpipe's solemn voice attend, And cheer their drooping hearts, robbed of the sun's Forthwith, in hoary majesty appears One of gigantic size, but visage wan, For feats of arms, but bending now with years. In troops confused, and rear their foaming heads THE PRIZES PROCLAIMED BY MILONIDES. With hands uplift And voice stentorian, he proclaims aloud Each rural prize. To him whose active foot Foils his bold foe, and rivets him to earth, This pair of gloves, by curious virgin hands [gold. Embroidered, seamed with silk, and fringed with To him, who best the stubborn hilts can wield, And bloody marks of his displeasure leave On his opponent's head, this beaver white, THE MOUNTAIN CHAMPION, PASTOREL. The gifts refulgent dazzle all the crowd. In speechless admiration fixed, unmoved; E'en he who now each glorious palm displays In sullen silence views his battered limbs, And sighs his vigor spent. Not so appalled Young Pastorel, for active strength renowned : Him Ida bore, a mountain shepherdess ; On the bleak wold the new-born infant lay Exposed to winter snows and northern blasts Severe. As heroes old, who from great Jove Derive their proud descent, so might he boast His line paternal: but be thou, my muse! No leaky blab, nor painful umbrage give To wealthy squire, or doughty knight, or peer Of high degree. Him every shouting ring In triumph crowned, him every champion feared From Kiftsgate to remotest Henbury.1 High in the midst the brawny wrestler stands, A stately-towering object; the tough belt Measures his ample breast, and shades around His shoulders broad; proudly secure he kens The tempting prize, in his presumptuous thought Already gained; with partial look the crowd Approve his claim. THE VALLEY CHAMPION, HOBBINOL. But Hobbinol, enraged, To see the important gifts so cheaply won, And uncontested honors tamely lost, With lowly reverence thus accosts his queen. 'Fair goddess! be propitious to my vows, Smile on thy slave, nor Hercules himself Shall rob us of this palm; that boaster vain Far other port shall learn.' She, with a look That pierced his inmost soul, smiling, applauds His generous ardor, with aspiring hope Distends his breast, and stirs the man within : Yet much, alas! she fears, for much she loves. So from her arms the Paphian queen dismissed The warrior god, on glorious slaughter bent, Provoked his rage, and with her eye inflamed Her haughty paramour. Swift as the winds Dispel the fleeting mists, at once he strips His royal robes; and with a frown that chilled The blood of the proud youth, active he bounds High o'er the heads of multitudes reclined: But, as beseemed one, whose plain honest heart, 1 The names of two hundreds in Gloucestershire. Nor passion foul, nor malice dark as hell, His hand presenting, on his sturdy foe THE WRESTLING. Then, quick as thought, With his left hand the belt, and with his right The champion's strength; but firm he stood, Grasping they close, beneath each painful gripe The sweat distils, and from their battered shins CRISIS OF THE WRESTLING-MATCH. THE ROPE-DANCER. Thus long in dubious scale the contest hung, Till Pastorel, impatient of delay, Collecting all his force, a furious stroke At his left ankle aimed; 't was death to fall, To stand impossible. O, Ganderetta! What horrors seize thy soul! On thy pale cheeks The roses fade. But wavering long in air, Nor firm on foot, nor as yet wholly fallen, On his right knee he slipped, and nimbly scaped The foul disgrace. Thus on the slackened rope The wingy-footed artist, frail support! Stands tottering; now, in dreadful shrieks, the crowd Lament his fate, and yield him lost : He on his hams, or on his brawny rump, Sliding secure, derides their vain distress. THE VICTORY.-HOBBINOL THROWS PASTOREL; THE MOUNTAIN SUCCUMBS TO THE VALE. Up starts the vigorous Hobbinol undismayed, From mother earth, like old Anteus, raised With might redoubled. Clamor and applause Shake all the neighboring hills; Avona's banks Return him loud acclaim: with ardent eyes, Fierce as a tiger rushing from his lair, He grasped the wrist of his insulting foe. Then with quick wheel oblique his shoulder point Beneath his breast he fixed, and whirled aloft High o'er his head the sprawling youth he flung: The hollow ground rebellowed as he fell. The crowd press forward with tumultuous din ; Those to relieve their faint, expiring friend, With gratulations these. Hands, tongues, and caps, Outrageous joy proclaim, shrill fiddles squeak, Hoarse bag-pipes roar, and Ganderetta smiles. CANTO II. ARGUMENT. The fray. Tonsorio, Colin, Hildebrand, Cuddy, Cindaraxa, Talgol, Avaro, Cubbin, Collakin, Mundungo. Sir Rhadamanth, the justice, attended with his guards, comes to quell the fray. Rhadamanth's speech; tumult appeased. Gorgonius, the butcher, takes up the hilts; his character. The Kiftsgatians' consternation; they look wistfully on Hobbinol; his speech. The cudgel-playing. Gorgonius knocked down; falls upon Twangdillo; the fiddler's distress; his lamentation over his broken fiddle. THE TRIUMPH; INSOLENT TAUNTS; EFFECTS. Long while an universal hubbub loud, Deafening each ear, had drowned each accent mild; Till biting taunts, and harsh, opprobrious words Vile utterance found. How weak are human minds! How impotent to stem the swelling tide, And without insolence enjoy success! The vale-inhabitants, proud, and elate With victory, know no restraint, but give A loose to joy. Their champion, Hobbinol, Vaunting they raise above that earth-born race Of giants old, who, piling hills on hills, Pelion on Ossa, with rebellious aim Made war on Jove. The sturdy mountaineers, Who saw their mightiest fallen, and in his fall Their honors past impaired, their trophies, won By their proud fathers, who with scorn looked down Upon the subject vale, sullied, despoiled, And levelled with the dust, The keen reproach. -no longer bear THE FRAY; THE WEAPONS. But as when sudden fire Seizes the ripened grain, whose bending ears Invite the reaper's hand, the furious god In sooty triumph dreadful rides, upborne On wings of wind, that with destructive breath Feed the fierce flames; from ridge to ridge he bounds Wide wasting, and pernicious ruin spreads: So through the crowd from breast to breast swift flew The propagated rage; loud, volleyed oaths, Like thunder bursting from a cloud, gave signs Of wrath awaked. Prompt fury soon supplied With arms uncouth; and tough, well-seasoned plants Weighty with lead infused, on either host Fall thick and heavy; stools in pieces rent, And chairs, and forms, and battered bowls, are hurled With fell intent; like bombs the bottles fly Hissing in air, their sharp-edged fragments drenched In the warm spouting gore; heaps driven on heaps Promiscuous lie. Hung on their rear. Colin, a merry swain Sore maimed; with pounded teeth and clotted gore Bold champion of the hills! thy weighty blows He stands unterrified: one crutch sustains CINDARAXA'S FIERY ONSET, AND DISASTER. When manly valor failed, a female arm Restored the fight. As in the adjacent booth Black Cindaraxa's busy hand prepared The smoky viands, she beheld, abashed, The routed host, and all her dastard friends Far scattered o'er the plain; their shameful flight Grieved her proud heart, for hurried with the stream Even Talgol too had fled, her darling boy. A flaming brand from off the glowing hearth The greasy heroine snatched; o'er her pale foes The threatening meteor shone, brandished in air, THE RALLY; TALGOL RAGES UPON AVARO, CUBBIN AND COLLAKIN SINKS, UNNERVED, AT SIGHT OF HIS FALLEN HEROINE. Now like a gathering storm, the rallied troops Blackened the plain. Young Talgol from the front, With a fond lover's haste, swift as the hind That by the huntsman's voice alarmed had fled, Panting returns, and seeks the gloomy brake, Where her dear fawn lay hid, -into the booth Impatient rushed. But when the fatal tale He heard, the dearest treasure of his soul Purloined, his Cindy lost; stiffened and pale A while he stood; his kindling ire at length Burst forth implacable, and injured love Shot lightning from his eyes; a spit he seized, Just reeking from the fat sirloin, a long, Unwieldy spear; then with impetuous rage Pressed forward on the embattled host, that shrunk At his approach. The rich Avaro first, His fleshy rump bored with dishonest wounds, Fled bellowing: nor could his numerous flocks, Nor all the aspiring pyramids that grace His yard well stored, save the penurious clown. Here Cubbin fell, and there young Collakin, Nor his fond mother's prayers, nor ardent vows Of love-sick maids, could move relentless Fate. Where'er he raged with his far-beaming lance He thinned their ranks, and their battle swerved With many an inroad gored. Then cast around His furious eyes, if haply he might find The captive fair; her in the dust he spied Grovelling, disconsolate; those locks, that erst, So bright, shone like the polished jet, defiled With mire impure; thither with eager haste He ran, he flew. But when the wretched maid Prostrate he viewed, deformed with gaping wounds And weltering in her blood, his trembling hand Soon dropped the dreaded lance; on her pale cheeks Ghastly he gazed, nor felt the pealing storm, That on his bare defenceless brow fell thick From every arm: o'erpowered at last, down sunk His drooping head, on her cold breast reclined. Hail, faithful pair! if aught my verse avail, Shall chant this mournful tale, while listening nymphs RECKLESS INJUSTICE OF MOBS; QUIET MUNDUNGO'S FATE. — How blind is popular fury! how perverse, Now deemed himself concealed, wrapped in the cloud His short black tube down his furred throat impelled, RHADAMANTH, THE MAGISTRATE, AND HIS OFFICIALS. Sends forth her brawny myrmidons, their clubs SPEECH OF JUSTICE RHADAMANTH; ITS EFFECT. "Neighbors and friends and countrymen, the flower All law, all sovereign power, and calls aloud know Each secret spring revealed; Thuanus bold My hallowed fragments, every script divine Than half a Vatican. Hear me, my friends! GORGONIUS. THE CUDGEL PLAYING. THE CHALLENGE. Gorgonius now with haughty strides advanced, A gauntlet seized, firm on his guard he stood, A formidable foe, and dealt in air His empty blows, a prelude to the fight. Slaughter his trade; full many a pampered ox Fell by his fatal hand, the bulky beast Dragged by his horns; oft, at one deadly blow, His iron fist descending crushed his skull, And left him spurning on the bloody floor, While at his feet the guiltless axe was laid. Sternly he gazed around with many a frown, Fierce menacing provoked the tardy foe; For now each combatant, that erst so bold, Vaunted his manly deeds, in pensive mood Hung down his head, and fixed on earth his eyes Pale and dismayed. On Hobbinol, at last, Intent they gaze, on him alone their hope. Each eye solicits him, each panting heart Joins in the silent suit. Soon he perceived Their secret wish, and eased their doubting minds. HOBBINOL'S SPEECH; HE ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE; HIS PARTING WITH GANDERETTA. 'Ye men of Kiftsgate ! whose wide-spreading fame Sinks to death's cold embrace; -or by this hand A doubtful contest urged, but from her soon [man THE BOUT WITH CUDGELS. HOBBINOL BATTERS THE SHINS AND SIDES OF GORGONIUS, WHO GETS A FALL, BUT RISES IN GREAT WRATH. Now front to front the fearless champions meet ; Gorgonius, like a tower, whose cloudy top Invades the skies, stood lowering; far beneath The stripling Hobbinol with careful eye Each opening scans, and each unguarded space Measures intent. While, negligently bold, The bulky combatant, whose heart elate Disdained his puny foe, now fondly deemed At one decisive stroke to win, unhurt, An easy victory; down came at once The ponderous plant, with fell malicious rage, Aimed at his head direct; but the tough hilts, Swift interposed, elude his effort vain. The cautious Hobbinol, with ready feet, Now shifts his ground, retreating; then again Advances bold, and his unguarded shins Batters secure. Each well-directed blow Bites to the quick; thick as the falling hail The strokes redoubled peal his hollow sides. The multitude, amazed, with horror view The rattling storm, shrink back at every blow, And seem to feel his wounds; inly he groaned, And gnashed his teeth, and from his blood-shot eye Red lightning flashed; the fierce tumultuous rage Shook all his mighty fabric; once again Erect he stands, collected, and resolved To conquer or to die: swift as the bolt Of angry Jove, the weighty plant descends. But wary Hobbinol, whose watchful eye Perceived his kind intent, slipped on one side Declining; the vain stroke from such an height, With such a force impelled, headlong drew down The unwieldy champion: on the solid ground He fell, rebounding breathless and astunned, His trunk extended lay; sore maimed, from out His heaving breast he belched a crimson flood. Full leisurely he rose, but conscious shame Of honor lost his failing strength renewed. THE CRISIS.-HOBBINOL HIT, BUT UNCONQUERED; SIMILE OF THE WOUNDED SNAKE. — HOBBINOL'S VICTORY. Rage and revenge, and ever-during hate, Blackened his stormy front; rash, furious, blind, And lavish of his blood, of random strokes He laid on load; without design or art Onward he pressed outrageous, while his foe Encircling wheels, or inch by inch retires, |