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With speed she through the window past,

And lit upon the ground;

While Hume he cross'd the ditch with haste,

He did not stay to sound.

He bore her down the bank so steep,

He wanted not a guide;

He cross'd the ditch, both wide and deep,
And landed on t'other side.

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They spurr'd their dapple steeds along,
Their steeds out-stripp'd the wind ;

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And soon was Langley's castle strong
Full many a mile behind.

"Langley awake!" the porter cries,

"Your daughter is fled away;

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She is fled with Hume; arise! arise!
Pursue without delay!"

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Till on a rising hill,

They see the lovers full in sight,

Yet onward prick they still.

They see the lovers ford the Tweed,

To whom thus Murray kind,

"Fly on, my friends, with treble speed, While I remain behind."

"Nay, Heav'n forefend!" brave Hume replied,

"That thou alone should'st stand,

I'll fix my feet thy feet beside,

And meet yon hostile band."

"Fly on, fly on!" bold Murray cries, "For know, unless I dream,

Unless my bow-string fail, or eyes,

Not one shall cross the stream.

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“O, spare my father's valued life,”
Quoth Rosaline, with a sigh ;
"O, spare my brethren in the strife”.
Quoth Murray, "None shall die."
The lovers fled-his bow he drew,
And twang'd with utmost force,
The arrow from th' elastic yew

Straight kill'd the foremost horse.

Again he shot, nor miss'd his aim,

Another horse fell dead;

Three more fell flound'ring in the stream,
And then bold Murray fled.

He join❜d the lovers in their flight,

Her cheeks warm blushes render bright,

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The happy deed he told ;

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"For Hume, that thief, hath stole my child,

My pleasure and my pride;

He bore her through the marshes wild,

With Murray by his side.

"Who, as we cross'd the Tweed, took aim, 145

Most like a traitor Scot,

And all our horses in the stream

With his sharp arrows shot."

"Hath Hume thy daughter carried off,

Thy bonny Rosaline?

I would," quoth Percy, with a scoff, "That he had taken mine.

"For though he be my foe, I love And prize his martial fire; Langley, in sooth I shall not move,

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Would he could call me sire !"

Old Ballad.

CALM AFTER STORM.

How calm, how beautiful comes on
The stilly hour when storms are gone!
When warring winds have died away,
And clouds, beneath the dancing ray,
Melt off, and leave the land and sea
Sleeping in bright tranquillity—
Fresh as if day again were born,
Again upon the lap of morn!

When the light blossoms, rudely torn
And scattered at the whirlwind's will,
Hang floating in the pure air still,
Filling it all with precious balm,
In gratitude for this sweet calm:
And every drop the thunder-showers
Have left upon the grass and flowers
Sparkles, as 'twere that lightning gem
Whose liquid flame is born of them!
When, 'stead of one unchanging breeze
There blow a thousand gentle airs,
And each a different perfume bears.

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ΙΟ

15

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MOORE.

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HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD

NEWS FROM GHENT TO AIX.

I SPRANG to the stirrup, and Joris, and he : I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three. 'Good speed!' cried the watch, as the gate-bolts

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undrew ;

Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through; Behind shut the postern, the light sank to rest, And into the midnight we galloped abreast.

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Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our

place;

I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight, Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique

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right, Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit, Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.

'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear; At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see ; 15 At Düffeld, 'twas morning as plain as could be ; And from Mechlin church-steeple we heard the half-chime;

So Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is time!"

At Aershot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,
And against him the cattle stood black every one,
To stare through the mist at us galloping past,
And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,
With resolute shoulders, each butting away
The haze, as some bluff river-headland its spray ;

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And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back 25 For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;

This refers to an incident in the War of Dutch Independence fought against Philip II. of Spain. All the places named are towns or villages lying between Ghent and Aix (Aix la Chapelle).

And one eye's black intelligence-ever that glance O'er its white edge at me, his own master, askance ! And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and

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His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.

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By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, "Stay

spur !

Your Roos galloped bravely; the fault's not in her, We'll remember at Aix "-for one heard the quick

wheeze

Of her chest, saw the stretched neck, and staggering

knees,

And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,

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As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.

So we were left galloping, Joris and I,

Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh, 'Neath our foot broke the brittle bright stubble like

chaff;

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Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white, And "Gallop," gasped Joris, " for Aix is in sight!"

(6 How they'll greet us!"—and all in a moment his

roan

Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone; And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate, 46 With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim, And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' rim.

Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster let fall, Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,50 Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear, Called my Roland his pet name, my horse without

peer;

Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad or good,

Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood.

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