Illustrated Article. L ICULAC THE ENCHANTER. AN EASTERN TALE. For the Olio. THE sun had long sunk beneath the western horizon, and the moon tinged with delicious softness the spires and minarets of mighty Bagdad. The industrious myriads that had thronged the streets, the busy artizan, the venerable dervise, were now hushed to repose the din of commerce, and the songs of praise that were chanted in her mosques, long had ceased. The blue clear vault of heaven ran on its course rejoicing, and spread forth its cerulean canopy with celestial beauty. In the east "night's faerie queene," in all her commanding loveliness, sailed through the spacious firmament, whilst the other planets, fair as the houris of Mahomet, lent their partial light to sublunary mortals. The Tigris, with her bosom covered with countless ships, freighted with the produce of every clime, rolled on with sluggish motion, as if fearing to VOL. VII. B break the deep and awful quietude that reigned supreme. Such was the glorious scene that burst on the eyes of the youthful Alassar. Fatigued with the cares of the day, he had sought in the voluptuous sweetness and rose-fed love songs of his national poets, a respite from the toils of merchandize, and now, when night had spread her radiant hues over the empo rium of the universe, he courted relief in the open air from the hot and fœtid atmosphere of his abode. Busied with the thoughts and recollections that so voiceless a scene would naturally suggest, he walked on, unconscious of the hour, until he found himself some distance beyond the suburbs of Bagdad. He paused, and determined, by taking a circuitous route, to enter the city from another quarter. Scarcely had he thus resolved, when a rustling noise, and the interchange of voices stole on his ear; directing his eyes to the spot whence they issued, he perceived a door in the wall suddenly thrown open, and there came forth four persons, bearing a covered 193 Time rolling quickly on, brought in his course the conclusion of the three months, the anniversary of the fatal night that had robbed Alassar of his peace of heart, and it found the merchant improved in health and vigour, though pale and wan. As night drew in, he endeavoured to conceal the feelings that were uppermost in his thoughts -he paced his room in feverish anxiety-mounted the terraced roof, and breathed beneath the shady trees the evening dews; but on the approach of midnight, he almost distrusted the aged hermit, and thought of going forth alone. As Alassar was about to execute his intention, the sage entered the apartment, covered with dust, worn out with fatigue-his garments soiled and torn. He beckoned to the merchant, who immediately followed him. With a quick step they hurried on, and shortly reached their destined spot. "But a few minutes remain," said the dervise," and the despiser of Allah will be here. Draw back, my son; the trunk of this tree will screen us from observation. Behold," placing his hand in the folds of his vest, "the signet of blessed Mahomet-'tis for this I have been to holy Mecca-this will aid and defend the favoured flock of Heaven, though the scoffers of the prophet may for a time prevail. Strengthened by so precious a relic, boldly plunge your dagger into the sorcerer's heartat this precise period he is controlled by a higher power, and the bold and rebellious Culac, until the sacrifice has been offered, is dispossessed of his potent art. Zutulbe is his victim for tonight all remembrance of the past was taken from her when she entered his palace, and now she is under the powerful influence of magic spells, depriving her of all consciousness of the horrid fate she is doomed to. Good must conquer evil, and Zutulbe's estrangement from earth will be to her but as a dream-she will again meet your embrace, innocent, chaste, and spotless. But see-the fell monster, Culac, approaches. Courage, my son -to Allah bend the knee, that he and his prophet may be our defence, our shield, and buckler." Already had Culoc taken the motionless Zutulbe from the litter-already had he lifted his murderous poniard,when Alassar, like a mountain lioness, started from his covert, fastened on his foe, and with one terrific plunge buried his dagger in the enchanter's heart! A vivid flash of lightning streaked through the sky-peals of thunder rolled in wild confusion-and the winds poured forth their fury, deafening the sound of the pealing thunder. Culac, feeling himself overpowered by the blow, and that the messenger of death had seized him, raised his voice amidst the din of elements, cursing aloud with his dying breath both Allah and his prophet; but his wicked spirit soon departed from his body, when his countenance and entire form became changed. The fearful lustre of his eye was now deadéned, his forehead and temples were relaxed with wrinkles; his mouth had fallen in; and age, extreme old age, was marked on every feature. Alassar turned from the withered spectacle, and embraced his beloved Zutulbe, now released from the enchanter's power; in place of words, tears flowed down their cheeks; blessings and sobs were mixed together. Happy indeed, was their meeting!-and for years afterwards the release of Zutulbe, and the destruction of the enchanter Culac, was the theme of Bagdad. HOWEVER much this curiously constructed family is neglected in print, it is otherwise received, marked and inwardly digested in provision. That they rise in judgment against many who voraciously devour them, cannot be denied. Yet, on the other hand, ladies are known to eat them with more sweetness than apples, and every bite they take, seems to increase the zest. Cucumbers, like certain orators, run to great lengths; they expand in the sunshine of their exuberance, and turn, in well-rounded periods, at every point. Considerable interest is connected with their rise and progress; for, while they are unlike most of their garden companions, they resemble them in a like fondness of hiding in ambush till they are revealed, in spite of their parasol leaves, too temptingly not to be gathered, and possessing too beautiful a bloom not to be coveted. Their meandering scions will scarcely comply with the will of their trainer, and however aptly they, like well-formed persons, are framed, they love to rove amid their sister tendrils in the busy manufactories of their emigrating ants and their sleek winged flies. If a real "toad in the hole" is to be found, it is in a cucumber bed, and all the poet's praise in a milking-stool, is lost in the canopy of a toadstool. It is under the mushroom-like shadow of this phantomic and exhumous protegé, that the woodlouse, with its armadillo back and centipetal legs, and the scarlettortoise-shaped spider, with gossamer legs, perform their evolutions; and as the handglass is relieved of the reeking mat, and situated so as to concentrate the earliest rays of the morning, so does the bed beneath grow amorous of heat, and the plant shoots forth a tender light green horn, curling, snail-like, to the broad-brimmed and rough palmed leaves. When the yellow flower throws out of its taper bell the infant, not yet susceptible of its destiny, the process of inoculation is engendered. This is the heir apparent for which the gardener seeks, and a new appearance of growth succeeds. His earliest progeny are most highly prized; he boasts in the size and length of the kind he patronises; his first show on his lordship's table, or the market stand, is an ambitious exhibition; he watches the frosts and mildews with a miser's eye. If his cucumbers do not crow, like cocks, on their dunghill, it is not that they are dead, or lack seed, or require voices to set forth their praise, "one and two a penny." Cucumbers are akin to the patriot race, as their heads-like the Sidneys, the Hampdens, and Russels-are sliced from their bodies; and the offshoots of their nobility, the gherkins, like incautious youths, often get in a pickle. The tempers of cucumbers are of the most amiable kind, inasmuch as they are best united with onions, soften the acerbity of satiric vinegar, give an essence of utility to salt, and appropriately receive the spicy spots of pepper, without being exasperated into a passion. If cucumbers are the coolest creatures of the sun, they are the emblems of liberty. Like the Landers, Parrys, Kerrs and Porters, they make their way on voyages of discovery; if they are found in a drip from the gardener's cascading water-spout, they are bettered by it and recover their energies with more effect. As the miller tolls his wheat, and the sexton his corpse, so does the cucumber toll down a host of bread and cheese, when all other inducements fail. Like Major Longbow, a cucumber sometimes runs out of all belief; and, like a healthy child after a night's sleep, it is the fresher when taken out of bed.— Nothing so welcome, so inviting, in a harvest moon, when the spirits are vapid, as a nice young cucumber; but when it is twisted with deformity in a thick skin, and submitted to the barrow and street vendism, my affection ceases for a season. P. REMARKS ON LORD BYRON AS A DRAMATIST. LORD BYRON, like Mr. Wordsworth, had nothing dramatic in his genius. He was indeed the reverse of a great dramatist; the very antithesis to a great dramatist. All his characters,-Harold looking back on the western sky, from which his country and the sun are receding together, the Giaour, standing brace him, but his knees tottered, and his feeble body refused to obey the wishes of his heart. "Bear up awhile-all may yet be well. Hast thou the heart, my son, to strike a deep-a deadly blow for thy Zutulbe?" "Have I?-point out the way-no labour-no danger will I shun!" "Tarry, youth; that hollow eyethy wasted frame-too plainly tell how useless is thy aid-but still for three moons hence I shall not see thee I journey into a far country-meanwhile daily perform the rites of devotion with fervour and exactness-strengthen thy body, and of thy plenty give alms to the needy. In prayer and penitence pass the time until we meet again. May Mahomet watch over and protect his son. Farewell." Time rolling quickly on, brought in his course the conclusion of the three months, the anniversary of the fatal night that had robbed Alassar of his peace of heart, and it found the merchant improved in health and vigour, though pale and wan. As night drew in, he endeavoured to conceal the feelings that were uppermost in his thoughts -he paced his room in feverish anxiety-mounted the terraced roof, and breathed beneath the shady trees the evening dews; but on the approach of midnight, he almost distrusted the aged hermit, and thought of going forth alone. As Alassar was about to execute his intention, the sage entered the apart ment, covered with dust, worn out with fatigue-his garments soiled and torn. He beckoned to the merchant, who immediately followed him. With a quick step they hurried on, and shortly reached their destined spot. "But a few minutes remain," said the dervise," and the despiser of Allah will be here. Draw back, my son; the trunk of this tree will screen us from observation. Behold," placing his hand in the folds of his vest, "the signet of blessed Mahomet-'tis for this I have been to holy Mecca-this will aid and defend the favoured flock of Heaven, though the scoffers of the prophet ma for a time prevail. Strengthened by so precious a relic, boldly plunge your dagger into the sorcerer's heartat this precise period he is controlled by a higher power, and the bold and rebellious Culac, until the sacrifice has been offered, is dispossessed of his potent art. Zutulbe is his victim for tonight all remembrance of the past was taken from her when she entered his palace, and now she is under the powerful influence of magic spells, depriving her of all consciousness of the horrid fate she is doomed to. Good must conquer evil, and Zutulbe's estrangement from earth will be to her but as a dream-she will again meet your embrace, innocent, chaste, and spotless. But see-the fell monster, Culac, approaches. Courage, my son -to Allah bend the knee, that he and his prophet may be our defence, our shield, and buckler." Already had Culoc taken the motionless Zutulbe from the litter-already had he lifted his murderous poniard, when Alassar, like a mountain lioness, started from his covert, fastened on his foe, and with one terrific plunge buried his dagger in the enchanter's heart! A vivid flash of lightning streaked through the sky-peals of thunder rolled in wild confusion-and the winds poured forth their fury, deafening the sound of the pealing thunder. Culac, feeling himself overpowered by the blow, and that the messenger of death had seized him, raised his voice amidst the din of elements, cursing aloud with his dying breath both Allah and his prophet; but his wicked spirit soon departed from his body, when his countenance and entire form became changed. The fearful lustre of his eye was now deadéned, his forehead and temples were relaxed with wrinkles; his mouth had fallen in; and age, extreme old age, was marked on every feature. Alassar turned from the withered spectacle, and embraced his beloved Zutulbe, now released from the enchanter's power; in place of words, tears flowed down their cheeks; blessings and sobs were mixed together. Happy indeed, was their meeting!—and for years afterwards the release of Zutulbe, and the destruction of the enchanter Culac, was the theme of Bagdad. TEARS. For the Olio. H. INCE. You've asked me what I prize on earth Beyond all else? I'll tell thee, dear; Not the rich treasure of the mine, HOWEVER much this curiously constructed family is neglected in print, it is otherwise received, marked and inwardly digested in provision. That they rise in judgment against many who voraciously devour them, cannot be denied. Yet, on the other hand, ladies are known to eat them with more sweetness than apples, and every bite they take, seems to increase the zest. Cucumbers, like certain orators, run to great lengths; they expand in the sunshine of their exuberance, and turn, in well-rounded periods, at every point. Considerable interest is connected with their rise and progress; for, while they are unlike most of their garden companions, they resemble them in a like fondness of hiding in ambush till they are revealed, in spite of their parasol leaves, too temptingly not to be gathered, and possessing too beautiful a bloom not to be coveted. Their meandering scions will scarcely comply with the will of their trainer, and however aptly they, like well-formed persons, are framed, they love to rove amid their sister tendrils in the busy manufactories of their emigrating ants and their sleek winged flies. Ifa real" toad in the hole" is to be found, it is in a cucumber bed, and all the poet's praise in a milking-stool, is lost in the canopy of a toadstool. It is under the mushroom-like shadow of this phantomic and exhumous protegé, that the woodlouse, with its armadillo back and centipetal legs, and the scarlettortoise-shaped spider, with gossamer legs, perform their evolutions; and as the handglass is relieved of the reeking mat, and situated so as to concentrate the earliest rays of the morning, so does the bed beneath grow amorous of heat, and the plant shoots forth a tender light green horn, curling, snail-like, to the_broad-brimmed and rough palmed leaves. When the yellow flower throws out of its taper bell the infant, not yet susceptible of its destiny, the process of inoculation is engendered. This is the heir apparent for which the gardener seeks, and a new appearance of growth succeeds. His earliest progeny are most highly prized; he boasts in the size and length of the kind he patronises; his first show on his lordship's table, or the market stand, is an ambitious exhibition; he watches the frosts and mildews with a miser's eye. If his cucumbers do not crow, like cocks, on their dunghill, it is not that they are dead, or lack seed, or require voices to set forth their praise, one and two a penny." Cucumbers are akin to the patriot race, as their heads-like the Sidneys, the Hampdens, and Russels—are sliced from their bodies; and the offshoots of their nobility, the gherkins, like incautious youths, often get in a pickle. The tempers of cucumbers are of the most amiable kind, inasmuch as they are best united with onions, soften the acerbity of satiric vinegar, give an essence of utility to salt, and appropriately receive the spicy spots of pepper, without being exasperated into a passion. If cucumbers are the coolest creatures of the sun, they are the emblems of liberty. Like the Landers, Parrys, Kerrs and Porters, they make their way on voyages of discovery; if they are found in a drip from the gardener's cascading water-spout, they are bettered by it and recover their energies with more effect. As the miller tolls his wheat, and the sexton his corpse, so does the cucumber toll down a host of bread and cheese, when all other inducements fail. Like Major Longbow, a cucumber sometimes runs out of all belief; and, like a healthy child after a night's sleep, it is the fresher when taken out of bed.Nothing so welcome, so inviting, in a harvest moon, when the spirits are vapid, as a nice young cucumber; but when it is twisted with deformity in a thick skin, and submitted to the barrow and street vendism, my affection ceases for a season. P. REMARKS ON LORD BYRON AS A DRAMATIST. LORD BYRON, like Mr. Wordsworth, had nothing dramatic in his genius. He was indeed the reverse of a great dramatist; the very antithesis to a great dramatist. All his characters,-Harold looking back on the western sky, from which his country and the sun are receding together, the Giaour, standing |