Vanished is the ancient splendour, and before

my dreamy eye Wave these mingling shapes and figures, like

a faded tapestry.

Not thy Councils, not thy Kaisers, win for thee

the world's regard; But thy painter, Albrecht Dürer, and Hans

Sachs, thy cobbler-bard.

Thus, 0 Nuremburg, a wanderer from a region

far away,

As he paced thy streets and court-yards, sang

in thought his careless lay:

Gathering from the pavement's crevice, as a

floweret of the soil, The nobility of labour,—the long pedegree of

THE NORMAN BARON.

Dans les moments de la vie où la réflexion devient plus calme et plus profonde, où l'intérêt et l'avarice parlent moins haut que la raison, dans les instants de chagrin domestique, de maladie, et de péril de mort, les nobles se repentirent de posséder des serfs, comme d'une chose peu agréable à Dieu, qui avait créé tous les hommes à son image.

THIERRY: CONQUETE DE L'ANGLETERRE.

In his chamber, weak and dying,
Was the Norman baron lying ;
Loud, without, the tempest thundered,

And the castle-turret shook.

In this fight was Death the gainer,
Spite of vassal and retainer,
And the lands his sires had plundered,

Written in the Doomsday Book.

By his bed a monk was seated,
Who in humble voice repeated
Many a prayer and pater-noster,

From the missal on his knee;

And, amid the tempest pealing,
Sounds of bells came faintly stealing,
Bells, that, from the neighbouring kloster

Rang for the Nativity.

In the hall, the serf and vassal
Held, that night, their Christmas was sail ;
Many a carol, oid and saintly,

Sang the minstrels and the waits.

And so loud these Saxon gleemen
Sang to slaves the songs of freemen,
That the storm was heard but faintly,

Knocking at the castle-gates.

D

Till at length the lays they chanted Reached the chamber terror-haunted, Where the monk, with accents holy,

Whispered at the baron's ear.

Tears upon his eyelids glistened,
As he paused awhile and listened,
And the dying baron slowly

Turned his weary head to hear.

“ Wassail for the kingly stranger Born and cradled in a manger ! King, like David, priest, like Aaron,

Christ is born to set us free!”

And the lightning showed the sainted
Figures on the casement painted,
And exclaimed the shuddering baron,

Miserere, Domine ! ”

In that hour of deep contrition,
He beheld, with clearer vision,
Through all outward show and fashion,

Justice, the Avenger, rise.

All the pomp of earth had vanished,
Falsehood and deceit were banished,
Reason spake more loud than passion,

And the truth wore no disguise.

Every vassal of his banner,
Every serf born to his manor,
All those wronged and wretched creatures,

By his hand were freed again.

And, as on the sacred missal
He recorded their dismissal,
Death relaxed his iron features,

And the monk replied, “ Amen!”