No More Learning

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Title: Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern;
Charles Dudley Warner, editor; Hamilton Wright Mabie, Lucia
Gilbert Runkle, George H. Warner, associate editors . . .

Publisher: New York, R. S. Peale and J. A. Hill [c1896-97]

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LIT 20 20. 15

FRERE
VERI
TAS
HARVARD
COLLEGE
LIBRARY


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4
Jy


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ABRAHAM LINCOLN


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LIBRARY
OF
THE
WORLD'S BEST LITERATURE
Ancient and Modern
CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER
EDITOR
HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE, LUCIA GILBERT RUNKLE,
GEORGE H. WARNER
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
THIRTY VOLUMES
VOL. XVI
NEW YORK
R. S. PEALE AND J. A. HILL
PUBLISHERS


## p. 9012 (#8) #############################################

HARVARD \
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
2146
2740
21
COPYRIGHT 1897
BY R. S. PEALE AND J. A. HILL
All rights reserved
ERCOMPANY
ERME
PRINTERS
MRON
BINDERS
3€
54-13
8-2.


## p. 9013 (#9) #############################################

THE ADVISORY COUNCIL
CRAWFORD H. TOY, A. M. , LL. D. ,
Professor of Hebrew, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Cambridge, Mass.
THOMAS R. LOUNSBURY, LL. D. , L. H. D. ,
Professor of English in the Sheffield Scientific School of
YALE UNIVERSITY, New Haven, Conn.
WILLIAM M. SLOANE, PH. D. , L. H. D. ,
Professor of History and Political Science,
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, Princeton, N. J.
BRANDER MATTHEWS, A. M. , LL. B. ,
Professor of Literature, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York City.
JAMES B. ANGELL, LL. D. ,
President of the
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, Ann Arbor, Mich.
WILLARD FISKE, A. M. , PH. D. ,
Late Professor of the Germanic and Scandinavian Languages
and Literatures,
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, Ithaca, N. Y.
EDWARD S. HOLDEN, A. M. , LL. D. ,
Director of the Lick Observatory, and Astronomer,
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Berkeley, Cal.
ALCÉE FORTIER, LIT. D. ,
Professor of the Romance Languages,
TULANE UNIVERSITY, New Orleans, La.
WILLIAM P. TRENT, M. A. ,
Dean of the Department of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of
English and History,
UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH, Sewanee, Tenn.
PAUL SHOREY, PH. D. ,
Professor of Greek and Latin Literature,
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, Chicago, Ill.
WILLIAM T. HARRIS, LL. D. ,
United States Commissioner of Education,
BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Washington, D. C.
MAURICE FRANCIS EGAN, A. M. , LL. D. ,
Professor of Literature in the
I d
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, Washington, D. C.


## p. 9014 (#10) ############################################

}


## p. 9015 (#11) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
JONAS LIE
GEORGE HENRY LEWES
Goethe and Schiller
Robespierre in Paris, 1770
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Battle on the Douro (Charles O'Malley')
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
V
VOL. XVI
Elizabeth's Choice (A Norse Love Story')
LINNEUS
LIVED
1806-1872
LIVY (TITUS LIVIUS)
1817-1878
1833-
BY HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE
The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions (Address at
Springfield, Illinois, 1837)
From His Speech at the Cooper Institute in New York,
1860
1809-1865
From the first Inaugural Address, 1861
The Gettysburg Address: at the Dedication of the National
Cemetery at Gettysburg, 1863
The Second Inaugural Address, 1865
1707-1778
BY JOHN MUIR
Lapland Observations (Lachesis Lapponica ')
The Author Visits the Lapland Alps (same)
59 B. C. -17 A. D.
PAGE
9025
9037
9048
9059
9077
9091
BY WILLIAM CRANSTON LAWTON
Horatius Cocles at the Sublician Bridge (History of Rome')
The Character of Hannibal (same)
The Battle of Lake Trasimene (same)
A Characteristic Episode of Classical Warfare


## p. 9016 (#12) ############################################

LIVED
1632-1704
Pleasure and Pain (Essay Concerning Human Under-
JOHN LOCKE
standing')
Injudicious Haste in Study (same)
FREDERICK LOCKER-LAMPSON
BY ELIZABETH STODDARD
The Skeleton in the Cup-
board
My Neighbor Rose
The Rose and the Ring
Vi
JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART
THOMAS Lodge
Beauty
Rosalind's Madrigal
Love
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
The Last Days of Sir Walter Scott (Memoirs')
Zara's Earrings (Spanish Ballads')
The Wandering Knight's Song (same)
1821-1895
The Widow's Mite
To My Grandmother
Advice to a Poet
The Jester's Plea
Genius (same)
The Wreck of the Hesperus
The Village Blacksmith
The Rainy Day
The Belfry of Bruges
The Bridge
Seaweed
The Day is Done
The Arrow and the Song
The Cross of Snow
Hymn to the Night
The Beleaguered City
The Skeleton in Armor
Maidenhood
Serenade (The Spanish Stu- My Books
dent')
1794-1854
BY CHARLES FREDERICK JOHNSON
1558(? )-1625
1807-1882
PAGE
9105
Sir Humphrey Gilbert
My Lost Youth
9111
9125
9139
The Launching (The Building of
the Ship')
9143
Changed
Paul Revere's Ride (Tales of a
Wayside Inn')
Thangbrand the Priest (same)
Kambalu (same)
The New Household (The Hang-
ing of the Crane')
Chaucer
Milton
Haroun Al Raschid
Divina Commedia


## p. 9017 (#13) ############################################

vii
LONGUS
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW - Continued:
The Poet and His Songs
Finale to Christus: A Mystery'
The Young Hiawatha (The Song of Hiawatha')
Prelude to 'Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie'
Peace in Acadia (Evangeline')
Postlude to 'Evangeline'
PIERRE LOTI
The Two Foundlings (Daphnis and Chloe')
SAMUEL LOVER
The Low-Backed Car
Widow Machree
How to Ask and Have
The Gridiron
The Sailor's Wife ('An Iceland Fisherman')
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
Fifth century A. D. (? )
LIVED
BY HENRY JAMES
Si Descendero in Infernum, Ades
Hebe
She Came and Went
The Changeling
The Vision of Sir Launfal
SIR JOHN LUBBOCK
1850-
1797-1868
1819-1891
From The Biglow Papers'
What Mr. Robinson Thinks
The Courtin'
Mr. Hosea Biglow to the Editor of the Atlantic Monthly
The Washers of the Shroud
Memoriæ Positum
Uncle Zeb (A Moosehead Journal')
From the Address on 'Democracy'
From Essay On a Certain Condescension in Foreigners'
1834-
The Habits of Ants (The Beauties of Nature')
Savages Compared with Children (Pre-Historic Times')
PAGE
9197
9203
9216
9229
9279


## p. 9018 (#14) ############################################

LUCIAN OF SAMOSATA
Aphrodite and Selene
The Judgment of Paris
The Amateur of Lying
BY EMILY JAMES SMITH
TITUS LUCRETIUS CARUS
viii
LUTHER
BY PAUL SHOREY
On the Evil of Superstition
The Foolishness of Luxury
The Nothingness of Death
The End of All
The Spirituality of Material Things
Spenser's Imitation of the Opening Lines of the 'Nature
of Things' (The Fairy Queen')
Invocation to Venus
98-55? B. C.
Letter to Melanchthon
Letter to his Wife
LIVED
I20? -200?
BY CHESTER D. HARTRANFT
To the Christian Nobles of the German Nation on the
Improvement of the Christian Body
On the Liberty of the Christian
Reply at the Diet of Worms
Psalm CXXX.
Extract from Commentary on Psalm CI.
A Hymn for Children at Christmas
The Value and Power of Music
1483-1546
THE EARL OF LYTTON
Aux Italiens
Lucile's Letter (Lucile')
From Prologue to 'The Wanderer'
Luther's Letter to his Little Son Hans, Aged Six
Luther's Table-Talk
Sayings of Luther
1831-1891
PAGE
9285
9304
9319
9348


## p. 9019 (#15) ############################################

ix
MAARTEN MAARTENS (J. M. W. Van Der Poorten Schwartz)
1858-
THE MABINOGION
Joost Surrenders (The Sin of Joost Avelingh')
The Calm before the Storm ('An Old Maid's Love')
BY WILLIAM SHARP
Knowledge (God's Fool")
Music and Discord (same)
Guilt (same)
The Dawn of the Higher Life (The Greater Glory')
(
The Dream of Rhonabwy
Lludd and Llevelys
Kilhwch and Olwen
From Branwen the Daughter of Llyr'
From The Dream of Maxen Wledig '
BY ERNEST RHYS
THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY
LIVED
BY JOHN BACH MCMASTER
Horatius
The Battle of Ivry
1800-1859
The Coffee-House (History of England')
The Difficulty of Travel in England, 1685 (same)
The Highwayman (same)
The Delusion of Overrating the Happiness of our Ances-
tors (same)
The Puritan (Essay on John Milton')
(
Spain under Philip II. (Essay on Lord Mahon's War of
the Succession in Spain')
The Character of Charles II. of England (Essay on Mack-
intosh's 'Revolution in England')
The Church of Rome (Essay on Ranke's 'History of the
Popes')
Loyola and the Jesuits (same)
The Reign of Terror (Essay on 'Barère')
The Trial of Warren Hastings (Essay on Gleig's 'Warren
Hastings')
PAGE
9357
9373
9381


## p. 9020 (#16) ############################################

JUSTIN MCCARTHY
GEORGE MACDONALD
The King is Dead-Long Live the Queen (History of
Our Own Times')
A Modern English Statesman (same)
JEAN MACÉ
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
The Flood (Sir Gibbie')
The Hay-Loft ('At the Back of the North Wind')
X
1815-
The Necklace of Truth (Macé's Fairy Book')
NORMAN MACLEOD
BY CHARLES P. NEILL
JOHN BACH MCMASTER
LIVED
1830-
EMERICH MADÁCH
The Conspiracy against Carlo Galeazzo, Duke of Milan,
1476 (History of Florence')
How a Prince Ought to Avoid Flatterers ('The Prince')
Exhortation to Lorenzo de' Medici to Deliver Italy from
Foreign Domination (same)
1824-
1812-1872
The Home-Coming (The Old Lieutenant and his Son')
Highland Scenery
My Little May
JAMES MADISON
From the Tragedy of Man'
1469-1527
1852-
Town and Country Life in 1800 (History of the People
of the United States')
Effects of the Embargo of 1807 (same)
BY GEORGE ALEXANDER KOHUT
1823-1864
1751-1836
From The Federalist'
Interference to Quell Domestic Insurrection ('The Feder-
alist')
PAGE
9440
9455
9473
9479
9495
9503
9515
9531


## p. 9021 (#17) ############################################

xi
MAURICE MAETERLINCK
DR. WILLIAM MAGINN
Saint Patrick
Song of the Sea
BY WILLIAM SHARP
From
The Death of Tintagiles'
The Inner Beauty ('The Treasure of the Humble')
The Tragical in Daily Life (same)
JOHN PENTLAND MAHAFFY
ALFRED THAYER MAHAN
LIVED
1839-
Childhood in Ancient Life (Old Greek Education')
SIR HENRY MAINE
1864-
1840-
The Importance of Cruisers and of Strong Fleets in War
(The Influence of Sea Power upon History')
MOSES MAIMONIDES
BY RABBI GOTTHEIL
1794-1842
1135-1204
Extract from Maimonides's Will
From the Guide of the Perplexed': A Proof of the Unity
of God; An Argument Concerning the Incorporeality
of God; The Object of Law; True Knowledge of God;
Superfluous Things; Evil Things contrasted with Good
Things; Thought of Sins; Low Speech Condemned;
Control Bodily Desires; The Moral Equipoise
1822-1888
BY D. MACG. MEANS
The Beginnings of the Modern Laws of Real Property
(Village Communities in the East and West')
Importance of a Knowledge of Roman Law: and the
Effect of the Code Napoléon (same)
PAGE
9541
9564
9569
9580
9589
9605


## p. 9022 (#18) ############################################



## p. 9023 (#19) ############################################

LIST OF PORTRAITS
IN VOL. XVI
Charles Lever
George Henry Lewes
Jonas Lie
Abraham Lincoln
Linnæus
Livy (Titus Livius)
John Locke
John Gibson Lockhart
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Pierre Loti
Samuel Lover
James Russell Lowell
Sir John Lubbock
Lucian of Samosata
Titus Lucretius Carus
Luther
The Earl of Lytton
Maarten Maartens
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Justin McCarthy
George Macdonald
Niccolo Machiavelli
John Bach McMaster
Emerich Madách
James Madison
Maurice Maeterlinck
Dr. William Maginn
John Pentland Mahaffy
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Sir Henry Maine
Vignette
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Full page
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Full page
Vignette
Vignette
Vignette
Vignette
Vignette


## p. 9024 (#20) ############################################



## p. 9025 (#21) ############################################

9025
—
CHARLES LEVER
(1806-1872)
name ran
HE wonderful flow of animal spirits in Lever's novels is an
expression of the warm vital force of the man, who was
joyous in his childhood and dowered with good things in
his youth. An Irishman,-born August 21st, 1806, in Dublin, -his
folk were of English descent. Charles or Charles James, as his full
was a handsome, merry, and clever lad, who rode his
pony to school and gave his schoolmasters some bad quarters of an
hour by his escapades. Fencing and love-making too he liked, when
the time came. With this temperament and
with his personal attraction, it is easy to
understand that at Trinity College in his
native city, where he took his degree, his
life was a gay one. But along with social
aptitudes, he early developed diligence in
literary work, writing tales and ballads
many during undergraduate days. His par-
ticular literary idols were the Waverley nov-
els. "I can remember the time," he wrote
to a friend, "when as freshmen we went
about talking to each other of Ivanhoe'
and Kenilworth,' and when the glorious
spirit of these novels had so possessed us,
that our romance elevated and warmed us
to unconscious imitation of the noble thoughts and deeds we had
been reading. "

CHARLES LEVER
From Trinity College Lever went to Göttingen for further study,
took a degree there, and saw society so broadly that, writing as
"Cornelius O'Dowd"-his pen-name in Blackwood's-he could say
of himself, with some truth behind the whimsical exaggeration:-
"I know everybody worth knowing in Europe. I have been
everywhere, eaten everything, and seen everything. There's not a
railway guard doesn't give a recognition to me; not a waiter, from the
Trois Frères to the Wilde Mann, doesn't trail his napkin to earth as
he sees me. Ministers speak up when I stroll into the Chamber, and
prima donnas soar above the orchestra as I enter the pit. "
Returning to Dublin, Lever took a medical degree, and practiced
with success in the North of Ireland,- his courage during the cholera
XVI-565
-


## p. 9026 (#22) ############################################

9026
CHARLES LEVER
epidemic of 1832 being widely blazoned. His rating in that profession
is indicated by his nomination to the post of physician to the British
Embassy at Brussels, where he remained three years, coming back in
1842 to be editor of the Dublin University Magazine, which he brought
into prominence. In 1845 he went to live in Florence; leaving that
city in 1858 to accept the consulship at Spezia, and going to Triest
in 1867 to fill the same position there.
Lever's best-known and best-loved novels are those of his younger
manhood, 'Harry Lorrequer' (1837), Charles O'Malley' (1840), and
'Tom Burke of Ours' (1844): they are dashing tales of dare-devil
Irish soldier life of the early century. Martial courage, gallantry,
song, drink, the salt of fun and the zest of life are in them; and they
are told in a straight-away breezy fashion and with an honesty of
character that is winning. Lever's spirit was very sweet and human.
He was a natural story-teller, too; neither of the highest nor deepest,
but sure to be read and kindly remembered. He was a voluminous
and industrious writer; his novels numbering over thirty, and his
last, 'Lord Kilgobbin,' appearing the year he died. A few of them,
the outflow of his prime of vigor, certainly have the marks of a vital
product. Lever died at Triest in 1872; like his contemporary and
friend Thackeray, he passed away in his sleep.
THE BATTLE ON THE DOURO
From Charles O'Malley'
NE
EVER did the morning break more beautifully than on the
12th of May, 1809. Huge masses of fog-like vapor had
succeeded to the starry, cloudless night; but one by one
they moved onward toward the sea, disclosing as they passed
long tracts of lovely country, bathed in a rich golden glow. The
broad Douro, with its transparent current, shone out like a bright-
colored ribbon meandering through the deep garment of fairest
green; the darkly shadowed mountains which closed the back-
ground loomed even larger than they were, while their summits.
were tipped with the yellow glory of the morning. The air was.
calm and still, and the very smoke that arose from the peasant's
cot labored as it ascended through the perfumed air; and save
the ripple of the stream, all was silent as the grave.
The squadron of the 14th, with which I was, had diverged
from the road beside the river, and to obtain a shorter path, had
entered the skirts of a dark pine wood: our pace was a sharp


## p. 9027 (#23) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9027
one; an orderly had been already dispatched to hasten our ar-
rival, and we pressed on at a brisk trot. In less than an hour
we reached the verge of the wood; and as we rode out upon the
plain, what a spectacle met our eyes! Before us, in a narrow
valley, separated from the river by a low ridge, were picketed
three cavalry regiments; their noiseless gestures and perfect still-
ness bespeaking at once that they were intended for a surprise
party. Farther down the stream and upon the opposite side rose
the massive towers and tall spires of Oporto, displaying from their
summits the broad ensign of France: while far as the eye could
reach, the broad dark masses of troops might be seen; the inter-
vals between their columns glittering with the bright equipments
of their cavalry, whose steel caps and lances were sparkling in
the sunbeams. The bivouac fires were still smoldering, and mark-
ing where some part of the army had passed the night: for early
as it was, it was evident that their position had been changed;
and even now, the heavy masses of dark infantry might be seen
moving from place to place, while the long line of the road to
Vallonga was marked with a vast cloud of dust. The French
drum and the light infantry bugle told, from time to time, that
orders were passing among the troops; while the glittering uni-
form of a staff officer, as he galloped from the town, bespoke the
note of preparation.
"Dismount. Steady: quietly, my lads," said the colonel as
he alighted upon the grass. "Let the men have their break-
fast. >>>>
The little amphitheatre we occupied hid us entirely from all
observation on the part of the enemy, but equally so excluded us
from perceiving their movements. It may readily be supposed,
then, with what impatience we waited here; while the din and
clangor of the French force, as they marched and countermarched
so near us, were clearly audible. The orders were, however,
strict that none should approach the bank of the river; and we
lay anxiously awaiting the moment when this inactivity should
cease. More than one orderly had arrived among us, bearing
dispatches from headquarters; but where our main body was,
or what the nature of the orders, no one could guess. As
for me, my excitement was at its height; and I could not speak
for the very tension of my nerves. The officers stood in little
groups of two and three, whispering anxiously together; but all
I could collect was, that Soult had already begun his retreat upon


## p. 9028 (#24) ############################################

9028
CHARLES LEVER
Amarante, and that with the broad stream of the Douro between
us he defied our pursuit.
"Well, Charley," said Power, laying his arm upon my shoulder,
"the French have given us the slip this time: they are already
in march, and even if we dared force a passage in the face of
such an enemy, it seems there is not a boat to be found.
In 1845 he went to live in Florence; leaving that
city in 1858 to accept the consulship at Spezia, and going to Triest
in 1867 to fill the same position there.
Lever's best-known and best-loved novels are those of his younger
manhood, 'Harry Lorrequer' (1837), Charles O'Malley' (1840), and
'Tom Burke of Ours' (1844): they are dashing tales of dare-devil
Irish soldier life of the early century. Martial courage, gallantry,
song, drink, the salt of fun and the zest of life are in them; and they
are told in a straight-away breezy fashion and with an honesty of
character that is winning. Lever's spirit was very sweet and human.
He was a natural story-teller, too; neither of the highest nor deepest,
but sure to be read and kindly remembered. He was a voluminous
and industrious writer; his novels numbering over thirty, and his
last, 'Lord Kilgobbin,' appearing the year he died. A few of them,
the outflow of his prime of vigor, certainly have the marks of a vital
product. Lever died at Triest in 1872; like his contemporary and
friend Thackeray, he passed away in his sleep.
THE BATTLE ON THE DOURO
From Charles O'Malley'
NE
EVER did the morning break more beautifully than on the
12th of May, 1809. Huge masses of fog-like vapor had
succeeded to the starry, cloudless night; but one by one
they moved onward toward the sea, disclosing as they passed
long tracts of lovely country, bathed in a rich golden glow. The
broad Douro, with its transparent current, shone out like a bright-
colored ribbon meandering through the deep garment of fairest
green; the darkly shadowed mountains which closed the back-
ground loomed even larger than they were, while their summits.
were tipped with the yellow glory of the morning. The air was.
calm and still, and the very smoke that arose from the peasant's
cot labored as it ascended through the perfumed air; and save
the ripple of the stream, all was silent as the grave.
The squadron of the 14th, with which I was, had diverged
from the road beside the river, and to obtain a shorter path, had
entered the skirts of a dark pine wood: our pace was a sharp


## p. 9027 (#23) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9027
one; an orderly had been already dispatched to hasten our ar-
rival, and we pressed on at a brisk trot. In less than an hour
we reached the verge of the wood; and as we rode out upon the
plain, what a spectacle met our eyes! Before us, in a narrow
valley, separated from the river by a low ridge, were picketed
three cavalry regiments; their noiseless gestures and perfect still-
ness bespeaking at once that they were intended for a surprise
party. Farther down the stream and upon the opposite side rose
the massive towers and tall spires of Oporto, displaying from their
summits the broad ensign of France: while far as the eye could
reach, the broad dark masses of troops might be seen; the inter-
vals between their columns glittering with the bright equipments
of their cavalry, whose steel caps and lances were sparkling in
the sunbeams. The bivouac fires were still smoldering, and mark-
ing where some part of the army had passed the night: for early
as it was, it was evident that their position had been changed;
and even now, the heavy masses of dark infantry might be seen
moving from place to place, while the long line of the road to
Vallonga was marked with a vast cloud of dust. The French
drum and the light infantry bugle told, from time to time, that
orders were passing among the troops; while the glittering uni-
form of a staff officer, as he galloped from the town, bespoke the
note of preparation.
"Dismount. Steady: quietly, my lads," said the colonel as
he alighted upon the grass. "Let the men have their break-
fast. >>>>
The little amphitheatre we occupied hid us entirely from all
observation on the part of the enemy, but equally so excluded us
from perceiving their movements. It may readily be supposed,
then, with what impatience we waited here; while the din and
clangor of the French force, as they marched and countermarched
so near us, were clearly audible. The orders were, however,
strict that none should approach the bank of the river; and we
lay anxiously awaiting the moment when this inactivity should
cease. More than one orderly had arrived among us, bearing
dispatches from headquarters; but where our main body was,
or what the nature of the orders, no one could guess. As
for me, my excitement was at its height; and I could not speak
for the very tension of my nerves. The officers stood in little
groups of two and three, whispering anxiously together; but all
I could collect was, that Soult had already begun his retreat upon


## p. 9028 (#24) ############################################

9028
CHARLES LEVER
Amarante, and that with the broad stream of the Douro between
us he defied our pursuit.
"Well, Charley," said Power, laying his arm upon my shoulder,
"the French have given us the slip this time: they are already
in march, and even if we dared force a passage in the face of
such an enemy, it seems there is not a boat to be found. I have
just seen Hammersley. "
"Indeed! where is he? " said I.
"He's gone back to Villa de Condé; he asked after you most
particularly. Don't blush, man: I'd rather back your chance than
his, notwithstanding the long letter that Lucy sends him. Poor
fellow! he has been badly wounded, but it seems, declines going
back to England. "
"Captain Power,” said an orderly, touching his cap, "General
Murray desires to see you. "
Power hastened away, but returned in a few moments.
"I say, Charley, there's something in the wind here. I have
just been ordered to try where the stream is fordable. I've men-
tioned your name to the General, and I think you'll be sent for
soon. Good-by. "
I buckled on my sword, and looking to my girths, stood watch-
ing the groups around me; when suddenly a dragoon pulled his
horse short up, and asked a man near me if Mr. O'Malley was
there?
"Yes, I am he. ”
"Orders from General Murray, sir," said the man, and rode
off at a canter.
I opened, and saw that the dispatch was addressed to Sir
Arthur Wellesley, with the mere words, "With haste! " on the
envelope.
Now which way to turn I knew not; so springing into the
saddle, I galloped to where Colonel Merivale was standing talking
to the colonel of a heavy dragoon regiment.
"May I ask, sir, by which road I am to proceed with this dis-
patch ? »
"Along the river, sir," said the heavy,-a large dark-browed
man, with a most forbidding look. "You'll soon see the troops;
you'd better stir yourself, sir, or Sir Arthur is not very likely to
be pleased with you. "
Without venturing a reply to what I felt a somewhat unneces-
sary taunt, I dashed spurs into my horse, and turned towards


## p. 9029 (#25) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9029
the river. I had not gained the bank above a minute when the
loud ringing of a rifle struck upon my ear; bang went another
and another. I hurried on, however, at the top of my speed,
thinking only of my mission and its pressing haste. As I turned
an angle of the stream, the vast column of the British came in
sight; and scarcely had my eye rested upon them when my horse
staggered forwards, plunged twice with his head nearly to the
earth, and then, rearing madly up, fell backward upon the ground.
Crushed and bruised as I felt by my fall, I was soon aroused to
the necessity of exertion: for as I disengaged myself from the
poor beast, I discovered he had been killed by a bullet in the
counter; and scarcely had I recovered my legs when a shot struck
my chago and grazed my temples. I quickly threw myself to the
ground, and creeping on for some yards, reached at last some
rising ground, from which I rolled gently downwards into a little
declivity, sheltered by the bank from the French fire.
When I arrived at headquarters I was dreadfully fatigued and
heated; but resolving not to rest till I had delivered my dis-
patches, I hastened towards the convent of La Sierra, where I
was told the commander-in-chief was.
As I came into the court of the convent, filled with general
officers and people of the staff, I was turning to ask how I could
proceed, when Hixley caught my eye.
"Well, O'Malley, what brings you here? "
"Dispatches from General Murray. "
"Indeed! Oh, follow me. "
He hurried me rapidly through the buzzing crowd, and as-
cending a large gloomy stair, introduced me into a room where
about a dozen persons in uniform were writing at a long deal
table.
"Captain Gordon," said he, addressing one of them, "dis-
patches requiring immediate attention have just been brought by
this officer. "
Before the sentence was finished the door opened, and a short
slight man in a gray undress coat, with a white cravat and a
cocked hat, entered. The dead silence that ensued was not
necessary to assure me that he was one in authority: the look of
command his bold stern features presented, the sharp piercing
eye, the compressed lip, the impressive expression of the whole.
face, told plainly that he was one who held equally himself and
others in mastery.


## p. 9030 (#26) ############################################

9030
CHARLES LEVER
"Send General Sherbroke here," said he to an aide-de-camp.
"Let the light brigade march into position; " and then turning
suddenly to me:
-
"Whose dispatches are these? "
"General Murray's, sir. "
I needed no more than that look to assure me that this was
he of whom I had heard so much, and of whom the world was
still to hear so much more.
He opened them quickly, and glancing his eye across the
contents, crushed the paper in his hand. Just as he did so, a
spot of blood upon the envelope attracted his attention.
"How's this- are you wounded? »
"No, sir: my horse was killed-»
"Very well, sir; join your brigade. But stay, I shall have
orders for you. Well, Waters, what news? "
This question was addressed to an officer in a staff uniform
who entered at the moment, followed by the short and bulky
figure of a monk, his shaven crown and large cassock strongly
contrasting with the gorgeous glitter of the costumes around him.
"I say, whom have we here? "
"The Prior of Amarante, sir," replied Waters, "who has just
come over. We have already by his aid secured three large
barges — »
"Let the artillery take up position in the convent at once,"
said Sir Arthur, interrupting. "The boats will be brought round
to the small creek beneath the orchard. You, sir," turning to
me, "will convey to General Murray-but you appear weak —
you, Gordon, will desire Murray to effect a crossing at Avintas
with the Germans and the Fourteenth. Sherbroke's division will
occupy the Villa Nuova. What number of men can that semi-
nary take? »
"From three to four hundred, sir. The padre mentions that
all the vigilance of the enemy is limited to the river below the
town. "
"I perceive it," was the short reply of Sir Arthur, as placing
his hands carelessly behind his back, he walked towards the win-
dow, and looked out upon the river.
All was still as death in the chamber; not a lip murmured.
The feeling of respect for him in whose presence we were stand-
ing checked every thought of utterance, while the stupendous
gravity of the events before us engrossed every mind and occupied


## p. 9031 (#27) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9031
every heart.
I was standing near the window; the effect of my
fall had stunned me for a time, but I was gradually recovering,
and watched with a thrilling heart the scene before me. Great
and absorbing as was my interest in what was passing without,
it was nothing compared with what I felt as I looked at him
upon whom our destiny was then hanging. I had ample time to
scan his features and canvass their every lineament. Never before
did I look upon such perfect impassibility; the cold determined
expression was crossed by no show of passion or impatience. All
was rigid and motionless; and whatever might have been the
workings of the spirit within, certainly no external sign betrayed
them: and yet what a moment for him must that have been!
Before him, separated by a deep and rapid river, lay the conquer-
ing legions of France, led on by one second alone to him whose
very name had been the prestige of victory. Unprovided with
every regular means of transport, in the broad glare of day, in
open defiance of their serried ranks and thundering artillery,
he dared the deed. What must have been his confidence in the
soldiers he commanded! what must have been his reliance upon
his own genius!
As such thoughts rushed through my mind, the door opened,
and an officer entered hastily, and whispering a few words to
Colonel Waters, left the room.
"One boat is already brought up to the crossing-place, and
entirely concealed by the wall of the orchard. "
"Let the men cross," was the brief reply.
No other word was spoken, as turning from the window he
closed his telescope, and followed by all the others, descended to
the court-yard.
This simple order was enough; an officer with a company of
the Buffs embarked, and thus began the passage of the Douro.
So engrossed was I in my vigilant observation of our leader
that I would gladly have remained at the convent, when I
received an order to join my brigade, to which a detachment of
artillery was already proceeding.
As I reached Avintas all was in motion. The cavalry was in
readiness beside the river, but as yet no boats had been discov-
ered; and such was the impatience of the men to cross, it was
with difficulty they were prevented trying the passage by swim-
ming, when suddenly Power appeared, followed by several fisher-
men. Three or four small skiffs had been found, half sunk in


## p. 9032 (#28) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9032
mud among the rushes; and with such frail assistance we com-
menced to cross.
"There will be something to write home to Galway soon,
Charley, or I'm terribly mistaken," said Fred, as he sprang into
the boat beside me. Was I not a true prophet when I told
you we'd meet the French in the morning? ”
"They're at it already," said Hixley, as a wreath of blue smoke
floated across the stream below us, and the loud boom of a large
gun resounded through the air.
Then came a deafening shout, followed by a rattling volley of
small-arms, gradually swelling into a hot sustained fire, through
which the cannon pealed at intervals. Several large meadows
lay along the river-side, where our brigade was drawn up as the
detachments landed from the boats; and here, although nearly a
league distant from the town, we now heard the din and crash of
battle, which increased every moment. The cannonade from the
Sierra convent, which at first was merely the fire of single guns,
now thundered away in one long roll, amid which the sounds of
falling walls and crashing roofs were mingled. It was evident to
us, from the continual fire kept up, that the landing had been
effected; while the swelling tide of musketry told that fresh troops
were momentarily coming up.
In less than twenty minutes our brigade was formed; and we
now only waited for two light four-pounders to be landed, when
an officer galloped up in haste, and called out, "The French are in
retreat! " and pointing at the same moment to the Vallonga road,
we saw a long line of smoke and dust leading from the town,
through which as we gazed the colors of the enemy might be
seen as they defiled; while the unbroken lines of the wagons and
heavy baggage proved that it was no partial movement, but the
army itself retreating.
"Fourteenth, threes about-close up-trot! " called out the
loud and manly voice of our leader; and the heavy tramp of our
squadrons shook the very ground as we advanced towards the
road to Vallonga.
As we came on, the scene became one of overwhelming ex-
citement; the masses of the enemy that poured unceasingly from
the town could now be distinguished more clearly; and amid all
the crash of gun-carriages and caissons, the voices of the staff
officers rose high as they hurried along the retreating battalions.
A troop of flying artillery galloped forth at top speed, and


## p. 9033 (#29) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
―――
wheeling their guns into position with the speed of lightning
prepared by a flanking fire to cover over the retiring column.
The gunners sprang from their seats, the guns were already un-
limbered, when Sir George Murray, riding up at our left, called
out:
"Forward close up-charge! "
The word was scarcely spoken when the loud cheer answered
the welcome sound; and at the same instant the long line of
shining helmets passed with the speed of a whirlwind. The
pace increased at every stride, the ranks grew closer, and like the
dread force of some mighty engine we fell upon the foe. I have
felt all the glorious enthusiasm of a fox-hunt, when the loud cry
of the hounds, answered by the cheer of the joyous huntsman,
stirred the very heart within; but never till now did I know how
far higher the excitement reaches, when, man to man, sabre to
sabre, arm to arm, we ride forward to the battle-field. On we
went, the loud shout of "Forward! " still ringing in our ears.
One broken, irregular discharge from the French guns shook the
head of our advancing column, but stayed us not as we galloped
madly on.
-
-
9933
-
com-
I remember no more. The din, the smoke, the crash-the
cry for quarter mingled with the shout of victory-the flying
enemy the agonizing shrieks of the wounded-all are
mingled in my mind, but leave no trace of clearness or connec-
tion between them; and it was only when the column wheeled
to re-form behind the advancing squadrons, that I awoke from
my trance of maddening excitement, and perceived that we had
carried the position and cut off the guns of the enemy.
"Well done, Fourteenth! " said an old gray-headed colonel
as he rode along our line,-"gallantly done, lads! " The blood
trickled from a sabre cut on his temple, along his cheek, as he
spoke; but he either knew it not or heeded it not.
"There go the Germans! " said Power, pointing to the re-
mainder of our brigade, as they charged furiously upon the
French infantry and rode them down in masses.
Our guns came up at this time, and a plunging fire was
opened upon the thick and retreating ranks of the enemy. The
carnage must have been terrific; for the long breaches in their
lines showed where the squadrons of the cavalry had passed, or
the most destructive tide of the artillery had swept through them.
The speed of the flying columns grew momentarily more; the


## p. 9034 (#30) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9034
road became blocked up too by broken carriages and wounded;
and to add to their discomfiture, a damaging fire was opened
from the town upon the retreating column, while the brigade of
Guards and the Twenty-ninth pressed hotly on their rear.
The scene was now beyond anything maddening in its inter-
est. From the walls of Oporto the English infantry poured forth
in pursuit; while the whole river was covered with boats, as they
still continued to cross over. The artillery thundered from the
Sierra, to protect the landing-for it was even still contested in.
places; and the cavalry, charging in flank, swept the broken ranks
and bore down upon the squares.
It was now, when the full tide of victory ran highest in our
favor, that we were ordered to retire from the road. Column
after column passed before us, unmolested and unassailed; and
not even a cannon-shot arrested their steps.
Some unaccountable timidity of our leader directed this move-
ment; and while before our very eyes the gallant infantry were
charging the retiring columns, we remained still and inactive.
How little did the sense of praise we had already won repay
us for the shame and indignation we experienced at this moment,
as with burning cheek and compressed lip we watched the re-
treating files. "What can he mean? " "Is there not some mis-
take? " "Are we never to charge? " were the muttered questions
around, as a staff officer galloped up with the order to take
ground still further back and nearer to the river.
The word was scarcely spoken, when a young officer in the
uniform of a general dashed impetuously up: he held his plumed
cap high above his head as he called out, "Fourteenth, follow
me! Left face-wheel-charge! "
So, with the word, we were upon them.
The French rear-
guard was at this moment at the narrowest part of the road
which opened by a bridge upon a large open space; so that
forming with a narrow front, and favored by a declivity in the
ground, we actually rode them down. Twice the French formed,
and twice were they broken. Meanwhile the carnage was dread-
ful on both sides; our fellows dashing madly forward where the
ranks were thickest, the enemy resisting with the stubborn cour-
age of men fighting for their last spot of ground. So impetu-
ous was the charge of our squadrons that we stopped not till,
piercing the dense column of their retreating mass, we reached
the open ground beyond. Here we wheeled, and prepared once


## p. 9035 (#31) ############################################

CHARLES LEVER
9935
more to meet them; when suddenly some squadrons of cuirass-
iers debouched from the road, and supported by a field-piece,
showed front against us. This was the moment that the remain-
der of our brigade should have come to our aid; but not a man
appeared. However, there was not an instant to be lost: already
the plunging fire of the four-pounder had swept through our
files, and every moment increased our danger.
"Once more, my lads, forward! " cried our gallant leader, Sir
Charles Stewart, as waving his sabre, he dashed into the thickest
of the fray.
So sudden was our charge, that we were upon them before
they were prepared. And here ensued a terrific struggle; for as
the cavalry of the enemy gave way before us, we came upon the
close ranks of the infantry, at half-pistol distance, who poured
a withering volley into us as we approached. But what could
arrest the sweeping torrent of our brave fellows, though every
moment falling in numbers?
Harvey, our major, lost his arm near the shoulder. Scarcely
an officer was not wounded. Power received a deep sabre cut in
the cheek, from an aide-de-camp of General Foy, in return for
a wound he gave the General; while I, in my endeavor to save
General Laborde, when unhorsed, was cut down through the hel-
met, and so stunned that I remembered no more around me. I
kept my saddle, it is true, but I lost every sense of consciousness;
my first glimmering of reason coming to my aid as I lay upon
the river bank, and felt my faithful follower Mike bathing my
temples with water, as he kept up a running fire of lamentations
for my being murthered so young.
"Are you better, Mister Charles? Spake to me, alanah: say
that you're not kilt, darling; do now. Oh, wirra! what'll I ever
say to the master? and you doing so beautiful! Wouldn't he
give the best baste in his stable to be looking at you to-day?
There, take a sup: it's only water. Bad luck to them, but it's
hard work beatin' them. They're only gone now. That's right;
now you're coming to. "
"Where am I, Mike? "
"It's here you are, darling, resting yourself. "
"Well, Charley, my poor fellow, you've got sore bones too,"
cried Power, as, his face swathed in bandages and covered with
"It was a gallant
blood, he lay down on the grass beside me.
thing while it lasted, but has cost us dearly.
Poor Hixley — »


## p. 9036 (#32) ############################################

9036
CHARLES LEVER
"What of him? " said I, anxiously.
"Poor fellow! he has seen his last battle-field.