SONNET XVIII.

METAPHOR.

When Earth was young and Nature Man's delight, The protean Friend of Poesy arose.

His
eyes around with wonder wild he throws
And soars a mountain; high in æther bright
His summit nods. Then as electric fire,

With swift mutation, from the Earth he rang'd
To Heaven a massive pillar; soon he chang'd

To lion-fronted Pard, growl'd and retir'd

An Ocean: nor remain'd he Ocean long

For loud in thunder roar'd his awful voice

With lightning instantaneous. As her choice
Sweet Poesy directs, in numbers strong
Or soft, or fluent, so he drives her car
And later Minstrels call him METAPHOR.

J. J.

SONNET XIX.

PERSONIFICATION.

Nor did sweet Poesy long time defer
To ask the aid of him who hand in hand
With METAPHOR arose. At his command
Rocks, mountains, vallies living souls appear'd,
Catastrophe his sadd'ning front uprear'd,

And Virtue stood erect and Patience smil'd,
And Joy, Love, Hope, and Fear, Amazement wild,
And Heaven assum'd a virile form, whilst stood
Ocean contracted to a man.

The brood

Of Vice in black-brow'd frown; Revenge and Hate, Discord and Death, and stern defying Fate, Walk'd o'er the earth, destroying. Such is PERSONIFICATION. He whom she employs

To deck her labors and increase her joys.

J. J

SONNET XX.

O God! have mercy in this dreadful hour
On the poor mariner! in comfort here
Safe sheltered as I am, I almost fear
The blast that rages with resistless power.
What were it now to toss upon the waves
The maddened waves and know no succour near,
The howling of the storm alone to hear

Το

And the wild sea that to the tempest raves;
gaze amid the horrors of the night

And only see the billow's gleaming light;
Amid the dread of death to think of her
Who as she listens sleepless to the gale
Puts
up a silent prayer and waxes pale?
O God have mercy on the mariner!

The KILLCROP,

A SCENE between BENEDICT a German Peasant, and FATHER KARL, an old Neighbour.

Eight years since (said Luther) at DESSAW, I did see and touch a changed Childe, which was twelv years of age; hee had his eies and all his members like another childe: Hee did nothing but feed, and would eat as much as two Clowns, or Threshers, were able to eat. When one touched it, then it cried out : When any evil happened in the Hous, then it laughed and was joiful; but when all went well, then it cried, and was very sad. I told the Prince of Anhalt, if I were Prince of that Countrie, so would I venture Homicidium thereon, and would throw it into the River Moldaw. I admonished the people dwelling in that place devoutly to praie to God to take away the Divel; the same was don accordingly, and the second year after the Changeling died.

In Saxonia, near unto Halberstad, was a man that also had a Killcrop, who sucked the mother and five other women drie and besides, devoured very much. This man was advised that hee should in his pilgrimage at Halberstad make a promiss of the Killcrop to the Virgin Marie, and should caus him there to bee rocked. This advice the man followed, and carried the Changeling thither in a basket. But going over a river, beeing upon the bridg, another Divel that was below in the river called, and said, Killcrop, Killerop! Then the childe in the basket (which never before spake one word) answered, Ho, Ho. The Divel

in the water asked further, Whither art thou going? The childe in the basket said, I am going towards Hocklestad to our loving mother to be rocked.

The man beeing much affrighted thereat, threw the childe, with the basket, over the bridg into the water. Whereupon the two Divels flew away together, and cried, Ho, Ho, Ha, tumbling themselvs one over another, and so vanished.

Such Changelings and Killcrops (said Luther) Supponit Satan in locum verorum filiorum; for the Devil hath this power, that hee changeth children, and instead thereof laieth Divels in the cradles, which prosper not, onely they feed and suck but such Changelings live not above eighteen or nineteen years. It oftentimes falleth out, that the children of women in childe-bed are changed, and Divels are laid in their stead, the mothers in such sort are sucked out, that afterwards they are able to give suck no more. Such changelings (said Luther) are also baptized, in regard that they cannot be known the first year; but are known only by sucking the mothers drie.

Luther's Divine Discourses, folio. p. 387.

In justice however to Luther, it should be remembered, that this Superstition was common to the age in which he lived.

BENEDICT.

You squalling Imp, lie still! Is n't it enough
To eat two pounds for a breakfast, but again.
Before the Sun's half-risen, I must hear

This cry as tho' your stomach was as empty