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V.

CHORUS OF TROJAN WOMEN AFTER THE SACK OF TROY.

αὔρα, ποντίος αὔρα.—Euripides ; Hecuba-v. 444.

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STROPHE I.

Whither, O breeze, O sea-breeze wild and sweet,
Which o'er the azure wave

Speedest the ocean-roving galleys fleet,

Wilt hurry me a slave?

Say, in whose bondage shall my spirit pine?
What prison-house be mine?
Whether shall it be upon the Doric strand?
Or in that Phthian land,
Where old Apidanus, sire of the brightest rills
That seaward sparkle from earth's ancient hills,
Bathes every meadow green and shadowy dell,
As Grecian minstrels tell?

ANTISTROPHE I.

Or, wafted by strong oars that sweep the spray
To those Egean isles,

Must I a life of sorrow wear away,

Where the Greek Daygod smiles

On waving palm-trees and on laurels green

That spread their sacred screen

Latona's pangs maternal to embower,

And Phœbus' natal hour!

Singing, amid the Delian damsels bright,

Thy horned bow, and shafts of silver light,

Thy golden coronal, Diana fair,

And long translucent hair?

STROPHE II.

Or, must I broider robes of saffron die

In chaste Minerva's shrine

Hard by Athena's sacred ramparts high—

Yoking the car divine,

In many a blazoned thread of brightest hue?

Or picture fair that fierce Titanic crew,

Whom scathed and ruined by his thunderous blast
Jove quite o'erthrew,

And from heaven's height to deepest hell down cast?

ANTISTROPHE II.

Wo! wo is me for my lost children's lot!
Wo for my parents dear!

Wo for my country! for each hallowed spot
Sacked by the Argive spear,

And wrapped in smoke, a realm's funereal pall!
While I—a slave at foreign despots' call—
Leave lovely Asia prostrate by the wave,

Fierce Europe's thrall—

And beg for bridal bower a quiet grave.

"QUEEN MARY,"

AN AUTHENTIC PASSAGE FROM THE EARLY HISTORY OF GEORGIA.

BY W. GILMORE SIMMS, AUTHOR OF "THE YEMASSEE,”

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THE circumstance we are about to relate forms a curious episode in the history of our sister State of Georgia, and had nearly proved as tragical in its results, as it was certainly romantic in some of its aspects. It is well known that Virginia and Carolina had their respective orders of nobility;— the former its Knights of the Horseshoe, the Ultra-Montane order; and the latter its Palatines, Caciques, and Landgraves; - but Georgia had her Queen! - a dame of supposed royal descent, and, unquestionably, of very royal ambition. This person was an Indian woman, originally known among the whites as Mary Musgrove; subsequently, as Mary Matthews, and, finally, as Mrs. Mary Bosomworth. She was a woman of some influence among the Muscoghee Indians; and being naturally very intelligent, was selected by General Oglethorpe as an interpreter between the whites and her people, at an early period after his settlement of the colony. He distinguished her by many favors; allowed for her services one hundred pounds sterling per annum; and employed her as a principal agent with, and messenger to, the nation. She delivered his talks and presents to the tribes; perhaps settled as well as expounded the terms of his treaties, and, in all respects, was a person whose importance, in her own eyes, was but the natural consequence of the position which she acquired in the equal esteem of her own and the white people. Of her personal

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charms we are not advised. The bald, ascetic chroniclers of that day do not condescend to make them a topic of inquiry or even remark. But, whether much or little, she contrived to enslave the affections of no less a person than a reverend divine at Frederica,one Thomas Bosomworth, a preacher of the Church of England, and chaplain to Oglethorpe's English regiment. It is very clear that this person was not insensible to her political influence at least; and, from the sequel, it may not be harsh to infer that worldly considerations had some weight in rendering his judgment peculiarly sensible to the attractions of her beauty. Whether from insanity, or an ambition so very wild as to look very much like it, he projected such a scheme of selfish aggrandizement as threatened, at one time, the entire destruction of the Colony. His aim was nothing less than to establish a claim of sovereign right in the soil, by virtue of his marriage with Mary, his wife, in whose veins it was made to appear that the blood of royalty flowed predominant. His process was not without a sort of ingenuity, such as distinguishes most of the proceedings of monomania.

One of the Indian chiefs, or kings, as it was the courtesy of that period to style them, was chosen to facilitate this purpose. This chief, named Malatchie, was a Muscoghee warrior, very brave, and very stupid; but in very high esteem among his people. He was easily persuaded by the ambitious parson to suffer himself to be formally crowned and anointed, after the European fashion, as Emperor of the Muscoghees! Of the particulars of this solemn farce we have no accounts. A clever description, by some quaint humorist, would be a rare piece of pleasantry to the modern reader. We know, however, that the affair took place at Frederica, some time in December, 1747, in the presence of a very large number of Indians, many of whom were chiefs and principal persons. Perhaps there were very few among them, Malatchie himself not excepted, who knew the nature of the strange ceremonial in which they were busy; but, taking into account the good cheer and the strong drink which came along with it, it is not hard to believe that they would not have been unwilling to have made a dozen emperors, nay, to have become each of them a prince in his turn. Whether Parson Bosomworth himself, or some less important personage, poured the sacred unction over the head of the dusky sovereign whom he thus inducted into his new honors, is not written. We are left to conjecture the minor fooleries of this farce. The main fact is precisely as we have related it.

VOL. X., No. XLIV.-19

ceremony

But, whatever of form may have been wanting to the itself, it appears that the reverend chaplain took particular care that the manifesto, declaring the event, should fail in no respects, whether of publicity or precision. The document which was put forth on this occasion has been fortunately preserved; and may, at some future day, bother the heads of antiquarians, and suggest some new difficulties among the American archæologists. It ran thus:

"FREDERICA, (Georgia,) Dec. 14, 1747.

"Know all men by these presents, that we, Simpeopy, war-king of the Cowetas; Thlockpalahi, head warrior of the said town; Moxumgi, king of the Etchitas, (or, as now written, Hitchetas ;) Iswige, head warrior of the Etchitas, and Actithilki, beloved man of the said town; Ciocolichee, king of Osuchee, (Osweechee ;) Appalya and Ischabogy, beloved men of Nipkey; and Himmopacohi, warrior of said town; Tokeah, war-king of the Chehaws; Whyanneachee and Etowah, warriors of said town; Mahelabbi, beloved man of the Cussetahs, and Scheyah, warrior of said town; and Estchothalleatchi Yahulla (Yoholo) Mico (chief or king) of the Tuskigas; having full power, by the laws of our nation, to conclude everything for the towns we represent, do hereby acknowledge Malatchie Opeyo, Mico, to be our rightful and natural Prince. And we likewise further acknowledge that, by the laws of our nation, we think ourselves obliged to stand by, ratify, and confirm every act and deed of his, as much as if we ourselves were present; and we therefore make this public declaration to all subjects of the Crown of Great Britain, that Malatchie Opeyo, Mico, has full power and authority, as our natural prince, to transact all affairs of our nation as firmly and fully, to all intents and purposes, as we, the whole nation, might or could do, if we were present. In confirmation whereof, we set our hands," &c.

This document was signed by the parties whose names it comprises, in the presence of some half-dozen white witnesses, proved by one of them, and put on record in the Secretary's office in South Carolina, as rigidly authenticated as if its value were equally great and unquestionable. Visionary and absurd as the whole matter may seem, this rare fooling was soon discovered to be the fruit of certain very selfish and deliberate purposes. Bosomworth, by whom it was devised, seems to have suffered from that inferior form of madness, which, in all its phases and fluctuations, never loses sight of a general, governing, but narrow and sneaking cunning. It is scarcely possible, however, in regarding his subsequent proceedings, to consider him as other than insane, even in the moment of his keenest policy. Charity, at least, Having gone through the first scene having declared and crowned

would have us presume so.
of the drama to his satisfaction,

the emperor of the Muscoghees, his next step was to persuade him to such an early exercise of his new powers of royalty, as to procure an adequate reward for the happy genius in whom the excellent scheme originated. Accordingly, a deed of conveyance was drawn up in common form, by which the new emperor of the Upper and Lower Creeks, in consideration of "ten pieces of stroud, twelve pieces of duffles, two hundred weight of powder, two hundred weight lead, twenty guns, twelve pair of pistols, and one hundred weight vermilion," conveyed to Thomas Bosomworth, and Mary his wife, "all those tracts of land known by the names of Hussopee or Ossabaw, Cowley gee or St. Catharine's, and Sapelo Islands, with their appurtenances, &c., warranting the same to the said Thomas and Mary, so long as the sun shall shine, or the waters run in the rivers, for ever. Signed on the 4th day of the Windy Moon, (14th Dec.)"

Parson Bosomworth, who was not unwilling to become Prince Bosomworth, having procured his grant of land from the new Emperor the work of his own hands proceeded to assert his title, and secure possession. But, before this, that he might strengthen his claim in every possible way, he put in circulation, for the first time, the pretensions of his wife Mary to sovereign, or next to sovereign rights, among the Muscoghees. She was now discovered to be an elder sister of Malatchie himself - the Emperor; and sprung, like him, from the Indian sovereign who had previously exercised the supreme dominion among the tribes. From this moment, she assumed the title of an independent Princess; and among the friends and followers of Bosomworth, and such of the Indians as they could manage, she was now only known as "Queen Mary." She disavowed, with documentary formality, all allegiance to the King of Great Britain, or any other king, and renounced every connexion with him or his representatives, other than such as should result from treaties, offensive and defensive, and such alliances as sovereign princes find it politic to establish, on equal terms, from time to time, with one another.

The matter did not end here. The practical results were yet to come. Her next proceeding was to bring the Indians together—which she did in very considerable numbers; and to announce to them her novel pretensions. In a long speech she set forth, and possibly convinced them of the policy, if not the justice of her claims; and, with more effective art, insisted upon their own. It was not difficult to convince her subjects that they had been robbed and wronged by the English. The loss of their territories

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