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النشر الإلكتروني

A TALE OF FORMER TIMES.

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WORDS are inadequate to express the as-grounds than many others. In despair at the tonishment which Friedbert's mother experienced loss of Calista, whom he tenderly loved, our at this strange metamorphosis; after shrieking young soldier found himself in a most unpleasant aloud she made the sign of the cross, implored dilemma, and knew not how to act; to lose an the Holy Virgin and all the saints in paradise. amiable woman on the eve of his marriage, As she had never heard of Leda, genii, or sylphs, might be compared to suffering shipwreck in she had no idea of supernatural beings, and par- sight of the wished for harbour. If the object took greatly of the ignorance in which her of his attachment had been snatched from his country was involved during that dark age. She arms by death, or by a rival, or if a barbarous thought the lovely Calista was no other than a father had immured her in a convent, there still witch, or perhaps the devil himself, and her dear would have remained some resource, either to Friedbert was no longer, in her opinion, any follow her to the tomb, to destroy her ravisher, or other than a vile magician. She bitterly lament- to scale the walls of the convent; but when she ed that he had not died, like a good Christian, in chose to fly away through the window, how could the wars, before he had suffered himself to be he pursue her? In our days, indeed, he might entrammelled in the net of satan and his sor- have had recourse to a balloon, but in those of poor Friedbert, they had not discovered any means || of traversing the aerial regions without wings.

cery.

The manner therefore by which he could overtake his fair fugitive, was to follow her by sea; and his impatience to behold her again made him deem a voyage from Eglisau to the Cyclades as almost as long and impracticable as a

Poor Friedbert, however, was not sufficiently skilled in the art of divination to have foreseen the fatal catastrophe which had taken place during his absence. On his return in the evening he flew to the apartment where he thought to find his charming bride; but instead of what he expected, he was welcomed, on opening theJourney to the moon. "Ah!" exclaimed he, dedoor, by a volley of curses from his mother, accompanied with a torrent of abuse and reproach. He soon learned what had happened, and his despair and rage had no bounds; his first paroxysm of passion was so violent, that his mother might have become its victim if she had not given the alarm by her loud cries, and called up all the servants, who succeeded at length in disarming this new Orlando.

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spairing, “how can the snail, with its slow pace, think of pursuing the butterfly, that flies from flower to flower without resting on any, and wantons at pleasure in airy space? Besides, how do I know that Calista will return to the isle of Naxos; will not the fear of being looked on in her native country as a runaway daughter, prevent her returning thither? and even if she should return, shall I be the better for it? how shall I, who am only a citizen of a small town, dare to aspire to the hand of the daughter of a prince?"

When the first violence of passion was abated, more peaceful explanations were resorted to. Friedbert exerted all his power to exculpate himself from the imputation of magic or sorcery, These reflections tormented him for a long and the design of giving his mother for a time; he, however, might have spared them, if daughter-in-law, a devil in the shape of an angel. he had been acquainted with the strength of his He related to her the whole of his adventures passion, and if he had known that there is no with Calista, and revealed likewise the mystery difficulty but what love can overcome when of the plumage; but this in the good woman's carried to a degree of enthusiasm. An involunopinion, who understood nothing of the Grecian tary and sudden impulse made him adopt a resomythology, did not free him from her suspi-lution which the cold calculations of reason cions, and if he did not proceed to have him tried by the law, he owed it only to some remains of inaternal affection.

would never have inspired.

After selling all he possessed, and putting the money in his purse, he secretly departed to avoid In the mean time this strange adventure gave his mother's loquacious adieus, mounted his rise to a thousand conjectures in the little town horse, and galloped off with as much speed as of Eglisau, and if Friedbert had been less young, if he had expected to reach the Cyclades that or less handsome, he would soon have been con-evening. He luckily recollected the route which demned for sorcery, and that on much better father Bruno had taken, and repaired immediately

to Venice, where he embarked on board a Venetian galley; and after having surmounted the usual difficulties of a long navigation, arrived safe at Naxos.

Full of joy and hope, he leaped on shore and saluted the native ground of his beloved Calista; and no longer doubting that he should find her returned to her own country, his first enquiries were respecting the Princess; but no one could tell him what was become of her. They related to him the different reports which had circulated respecting her; which, when a lovely young wo man suddenly disappears from the circle of her acquaintance, are seldom to her advantage. Friedbert now, almost despairing of ever finding her again, was undecided whether to return to his hermitage, and wait for her on the borders of the lake, or perform a pilgrimage to the source of the Nile, certain that the wish of remaining young and beautiful would induce her to visit these places.

He had not yet determined on any plan, when he heard that Prince Isidor, of Paphos, a vassal of the sovereign of the Cyclades, was arrived at Naxos, to marry the Princess Irene, Calista's eldest sister. Splendid preparations were making for the celebration of their nuptials, and a tournament was to conclude them. This news renewed the warlike ardour of our Suabian hero; and tho' grievously tormented by vexation and disappointment, he resolved to take a part in this, to relieve his mind, especially as all foreign knights were invited to it, by heralds who proclaimed it through the whole city. Friedbert's want of birth prohibited him from sharing in these amusements in his own country, where, if he had pre. sented himself as a citizen of Eglisau, he would have suffered the disgrace of being conducted out of the barriers; but at Naxos, protected by a well-filled purse, it was easy for him to assume the prerogatives of an illustrious knight; he therefore resolved to support this character with all becoming dignity. He procured a suit of white armour, purchased a handsome horse, richly caparisoned; and on the day of the tournament, his noble appearance gave him free access within the barrier. On his entrance he gracefully bowed to the assembly, and challenged the bravest champions, split many lances, stood firm in his saddle, and at length gained the prize, which he received from the hands of the bride.

He had likewise the honour of kissing the hand of the once lovely Zoe, who, according to the etiquette of courts, still preserved her titular honours. The ravages of time, and the want of the bath, had made a deep impression on the features of the good lady: she was no longer as Bruno had described her, the perfection of beau

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When the festivities and games in celebration of the marriage had concluded, and the Princess Zoe had quitted the court, to retire to the peaceful seat of her own palace, Friedbert obtained access to this retreat, where a select party only were ever admitted, and was honoured with marks of a truly maternal affection.

One day, as she walked with him beneath the pleasant shades of her park, she led him to a solitary grove, and thus addressed him :"I have a request to make which, I hope, you will not refuse. Tell me how you came in possession of that ring, which is on your right hand; it once belonged to me, but I lost it without knowing where or when, and I feel a great curiosity to know how it came into your hands?"

"Noble lady," replied the artful Suabian, “I won this ring in combat, in an honourable manner, from a brave knigh of my own country; but I am unable to inform you whether he gained it from a warrior, or received it from a fair lady."

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"What would you do," continued Zoe, "were I to request you to restore it to ane? valiant knight will not refuse a lady such a boon. However, I do not require you to bestow gratuitously a jewel which I have no doubt your valour has well deserved, but wish you to receive from me a reward proportionate to the value you attach to it. Moreover, in yielding it to me, you will have an everlasting claim on my grati tude."

Friedbert was not embarrassed at this proposal; on the contrary, he exulted at the success of his design. "Your wishes, virtuous Princess," said he, "are to me the most sacred laws; my fortune and life are at your disposal, but do not require me to violate a sacred oath When in combat I gained this ring, I solemnly vowed that it should never quit my hand but to be placed on the finger of a bride, at the momen I pledged my faith to her at the altar. If through your means I have the happiness of gaining he affections of a fair maid, I shall willingly allow you to receive again from her this ring, which was once in your possession."

"Well," replied Zoe, "select then from amongst my court, the fair one who shall strike your fancy, and you shall receive her from ine, with a rich dowry, on condition that she gives me the ring, which you shall have placed on her finger; and as to yourself, I will raise you to the first dignities of the state."

This treaty was no sooner concluded, than the Princess's palace was transformed into an harem. She selected for her service the most fascinating females, and clothed them in the most magnificent dresses to heighten their natural charms.

Friedbert swam for some time in a stream of pleasure, without, however, being carried away by the current. Amidst the tumult of this brilliant court, and all the bewitching charms of the sex, notwithstanding the song and the dance, grief still shaded his countenance; though these lovely Grecians displayed their charms to gain his heart, yet that heart remained equally cold and insensible to all. The Princess little expected to meet with so much indifference, in so young a man. She had herself, it is true, ever followed the system of her wise compatriot, Plato; but in Friedber: she could only observe the principles of a severe stoic; which, while they excited her astonishment, left her but little hope of recovering her jewel.

Some months passed in this manner; but the Princess, impatient to gain possession of her ring, wished to have another interview with her knight, as she called Friedbert, for the purpose of questioning him on the state of his heart. On the day, therefore, consecrated to celebrate the return of spring, all the young maidens of the court, ornamented with garlands of flowers, had begun the merry dance, when Zoe discovered our hero alone, sitting mournfully in an arbour, deep in thought, and scattering about some wild flowers which he had just gathered.

"Cold and insensible knight!" said she, "has new-born nature so few attractions for your mind, that you feel a melancholy satisfaction in destroying her precious gifts, and thus profaning the feast of Flora? Is your heart so indifferent to all soft affections, that neither the fresh and beautiful flowers of my garden, nor the youthful charms of the females of my court, can make any impression on it? Why remain in this solitary spot, when mirth invites you to the saloon? Is an aortunate passion the cause of your sor. row? Reveal to me the secret with confidence. I am and would wish to be your friend and protectress; let me then dispel your melancholy?"

"Wise Princess," replied Friedbert, "I confess that your suppositions are true; you have penetrated into the inmost recesses of my heart.

I confess that a hidden flame consumes it, and I know not whether I may nourish it with hope or abandon myself to despair. Yes, my heart is inaccessible to all the nymphs who here celebrate the feast of Flora: the heavenly creature who has robbed me of it, is not among the joyful group: yet it is in your palace that I have beheld her. Alas! perhaps, she was only the produc tion of the painter's ardent fancy; though, surely such a master-piece could only be the work of a divinity! He must certainly have had a model; and the all powerful being who formed these charming nymphs and lovely flowers, has combined all their beauties to create the original of this painting!"

The Princess felt much impatience and curiosity to know what picture in her gallery had produced so surprising an effect on the young knight. "Come," said she, "let me see if it be not a trick which love has played upon you, and given you a cloud to embrace instead of a goddess; or if, for once, he has acted fairly, in displaying to your view an object which it is not in your power to ob'ain."

Zoe had a fine collection of paintings, some of which were chefs-d'œuvre of the most celebrated artists, the rest were family portraits. Among the last were many of the most renowned beauties of ancient and modern Greece; and among the number were many representations of herself, adorned in all the charms of youth and loveliness, which she once possessed, when she performed her annual voyages to the fairy baths. A slight emotion of that vanity which, in every age, preserves its empire over the female breast, inspired her with the idea that it might be one of these pictures which had taken such firm hold of Friedbert's imagination. She already, in anticipation, felt a secret pleasure in saying to him-" My friend, it is myself whom you love; but as I no longer resemble this picture, you must suppress your passion, and aspire to a less ideal object."

But Friedbert well knew that his flame was not merely the painter's fancy, and that the original possessed even more beauty than he had been able to catch in the picture; yet he was still ignorant as to the abode of this original, or how he should be able to discover it. On entering the gallery, he rushed with all the ardour of the most impassioned adorer towards this beloved portrait, and falling on his knees, his hands extended towards it, he exclaimed :"This is the goddess I adore! wise princess, you are now going to pronounce my sentence of life or death! If I am deceived by a chimerical affection I shall expire at your feet; but if this divine object exist, if she be known to you, Oh! tell me what country contains this treasure, and

I will fly and seek her wherever she is to be found, and endeavour to deserve her by the strength of my affection."

The Princess, having expected a very different choice, was much embarrassed; a shade of dissatisfaction clouded her brow, and the pleasing smile which had played on her face was converted into a frown. "Imprudent youth," said she, "how have you presumed to engage your heart without knowing whether the object that inflamed it has ever existed? However, learn that in the present instance it has not en tirely led you astray. This lady is neither imaginary, nor the monument of a beauty of former times; it is the Princess Calista, my youngest daughter. Alas! she was my favourite girl, but is now the very child of misery, and can never be yours, for her heart is no longer her own. A devouring and unextinguishable passion burns in her bosom for a wretch separated from her by an immense tract of land! She had resolution enough to escape from his deceitful snares; but, like a bird that drags after it part of the net from which it has escaped, she passionately loves him, though she has fled from him, and weeps her misfortunes in the solitude of a cloister, despising herself for her foolish affection, and yet not able to renounce it, or to think of any thing else."

Friedbert, though internally transported with joy at having discovered Calista's retreat, and at being able to flatter himself that he was beloved by her, had still sufficient command of himself to express nothing more than astonishment at the Princess's relation. The indignation the fair maid felt at his conduct, and the contempt Zoe expressed for the object of her daughter's passion, did not make him very uneasy, as by dint of deceiving others, with regard to his birth, he had now almost deceived himself; and the Princess Zoe's knight appeared to him very well qualified to obtain her daughter's hand. He continued to interrogate Zoe respecting the circumstances attending the young Calista's amour with an air of interest which was not feigned, as his curiosity had been. She satisfied him as well as she could, without revealing the secret of the swans; which was thought, in the families who possessed it, as important as the philosopher's stone, or freemasonry; but she composed extempore an allegorical story, which answered her purpose.

"Calista," she said, "was walking one evening with her sisters, on the shores of the sea, when imprudently they had the curiosity of going beyond the bounds I had prescribed to them, through places which were quite unknown to them, and where a Corsair lay at anchor. My unsuspecting girls had no idea of the danger that awaited them, when one of the pirates suddenly No. XXI. Vol. III.

darted from behind a thicket, and seized poor Calista, who had loitered behind to search for an ornament which she had dropped. He bore her in his arms to the vessel, and conveyed her to his own country. He was young and handsome, and as he employed every art to inspire her with affection, it is not strange that he should have succeeded with an inexperienced maid, who, forgetting her birth, was on the point of bestowing her hand on her seducer; when happy chance made her discover, among the effects of her lover, the precious jewel which she was seeking when he carried her off, and which he had doubtless previously found, and purposely concealed to draw her into the snare, and separate her from her sisters. She felt so indignant at this artifice, that she thought, in the first moment of rage, she should never love him more. A vessel from this country having arrived on the shores where she resided, the love of her home, the idea of her mother's grief, the voice of reason, all helped to increase her resentment, and determined her to escape from the captivity in which she had been held. To effect her intentions was not very difficult, as her lover, confiding in the affection with which he had inspired her, scarcely watched her motions. She escaped. But alas! the unhappy passion which had taken possession of her heart, has pursued her to her native land. Grief daily consumes her, and renders her insensible to all the pleasures of her age; and soon will that animation which once shone in her countenance be totally extinguished. Instead of a husband she invokes the tomb, and soon her wishes will be gratified; soon will the unhappy object of your absurd passion be inclosed within its jaws."

"I then will share her fate!" exclaimed Friedbert. << My life is at my own disposal, and I will die with the lovely Calista, happy to be united with her even in the grave. You will not refuse to place my mortal remains beside her; and our souls shall together wing their flight towards eternity. But ere this happens grant me the consolation of seeing her, and of telling her that I die for her. I will even, before I quit this world, once call her my bride; in pronouncing that sacred word, I will give her this ring as a pledge of my love; in doing which I shall be freed from my vow, and you will soon again possess your valuable jewel."

The knight's warmth affected Zoe so much that her eyes were filled with tears; and she could not have refused his request, independent of the desire she had of recovering her ring; yet she much feared that in the present state of Calista's heart, she would not like to receive either a visit or a present of this nature. Friedbert, however, employed all his eloquence to M

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persuade her that there was nothing in this request which could alarm or wound the most scrupulous delicacy. Zoe, therefore, assented to what he asked; and gave him an order, addressed to the superior of the convent, to obtain the desired interview with Calista.

Friedbert, his heart fluctuating between hope and fear, respecting the reception he should meet with, instantly departed.

Princess whose favour he had regained. Zoe was struck with astonishinent when she beheld the serene countenance of her daughter Calista, from whose features melancholy and grief had Aed; but it increased still more when she learned that her heart also was changed, and that it now be longed to the gallant knight.

The imputation of being a magician was about to be cast a second time upon Friedbert, espeIt was evident, however, from what Zoe had cially when Zoe was informed that they only told him, that she still loved him.

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His heart beat violently when he entered the cell which inclosed his beloved. She was sitting on a sofa opposite the door; her fine hair, negligently || fastened with a blue ribbond, floated in ringlets on her shoulders, her head reclined on her arın, and her countenance was expressive of the deepest grief. She did not immediately notice his entrance, nor till Friedbert threw himself at her feet, had she any idea of his being a more important messenger, than such as her mother usually sent to inquire after her health; but she slowly raised her eyes, and instantly recognized the prostrate stranger.

She started with surprise; he attempted to seize her hand, but was repulsed with marks of indignation. "Leave me, treacherous man!" she exclaimed, "it is enough to have been once your dupe and victim. You shall not deceive ne again with your feigned virtues!"

As Friedbert had expected these reproaches, he did not feel disconcerted; and began to probe the lovely Calista's heart, by attributing all the faults he had committed to the violence of his passion. This expedient seldom fails even when the offence is more serious than the theft he had committed, especially when there is love in the case. Every argument which Friedbert made use of weakened Calista's resentment; and he at length pleaded so successfully that he completely gained his cause, and no longer had to apprehend her escaping from him, either by the doo of through the window. She quietly resumed her seat on the sofa, and allowed him to take one of her hands, while with the other she covered her beautiful eyes, from whence tears copiously flowed, which were not however those of grief.

Friedbert, still at her feet, swore that he would have sought her through the world; and his voyage from Suabia to the Cyclades was sufficient to prove that he told the truth This assurance not only gained him his pardon, but a confession that their love was reciprocal; and they each vowed to unite their hands and hearts, and never more to separate.

This arduous victory obtained, threw the happy Friedbert into such transports of love and joy, that we shall not attempt to describe them. He hastened to return to the palace with the fair

awaited her consent to become united. Whatever predilection she might feel for the youth, and however strong her wish of being put in possession of her ring, yet she was not sufficiently blinded by these considerations to assent to an improper alliance; she, therefore, required of the knight to prove his nobility.

Though it would not have been more difficult to forge such credentials at Naxos than elsewhere,` he preferred to these false titles, those of love and valour. "Love," he said, "levels all ranks and distinctions; and my sword and my lance will ever enable me to support and prove the honour of my birth." Zoe had no reply to such weighty reasons, urged likewise by the choice of the fair Calista, who declared aloud that she was perfectly satisfied with him; in such a case a prudent mother must appear equally so. She thought, besides, that the knight, whatever might be his rank, was at least preferable to the little citizen of Suabia, or a convent. Calista gave her happy lover the title of Tetrach of Suabia, and he soon conducted her to the altar, and placed on her finger the ring which was afterwards restored to the impatient mother. The new Tetrach related to Zoe the whole story of the ring.

Mutual confidence now took place; Zoe confessed that she had designedly left the ring and glove beside the Lake of Swans; adding, that Bruno had well understood her meaning, but that it was not in her power to repeat her visit, as her husband had learned, through the treachery of one of her cousms, the whole adventure of the bath, which so enraged him that he got possession of her feathers and instantly burnt that beautiful gift of nature. And the only regret which damped the happiness of Calista was, that her husband was unable to share with her the invaluable privilege of the bath. But love lengthens out the season of youth, and Friedbert preserved a long time unimpaired the blooming hue and vigour of manhood. Yet when they celebrated the twenty-fifth year of their union, the fine auburn hair of the blissful husband began to whiten, like the first snows of November that portend the approach of winter; while the lovely Calista still resembled the rose, that spreads its blushing leaves to the gale, in the smiling month of May. R. E.

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