Oh, man! poor lump of sanguinary mud! Why should ye rage and shed each other's blood, And join, join hands! Lo! 'mong the corn, now bruised and trampled town, And at each border fort and frontier town The barren soil grows rich with human bones! Has filled with terror all the suffering lands. Should millions fall in their unholy strife, Still monarchs think their battles cheaply won; Why should their glory, founded on your woe, Are ye the gainers by their pomp and show, Fools that ye've been, short-sighted that ye are! And join, join hands! Yes! free and happy, let the world repose; Sheathed be the sword, and be the cannon dumb; And let the memory of your former woes Make you the wiser for the days to come! Then shall ripe corn-fields all your labors cheer, Thus to the nations spoke the seraph Peace: Has joined all hands!" The other poets who were inspired by the spirit of this age are few and unimportant. Scribe wrote songs for the theatres; and Casimir Delavigne, a poet far superior, followed his example. None of these had the stamp of nationality upon them; and the songs of Beranger continued alone to be extensively popular. They kept up with their eternal refrains the hatred against the elder branch of the Bourbons. Every act of tyranny and perversity into which they blundered was stigmatised in songs. These being invariably adapted to some old and favorite melody, were speedily sung in every corner of the kingdom. At last the moment came when the nation could submit to the lash no longer; and, in that moment of indig nation, the old echoes of the Tuilleries were startled by the deep tones of the well-remembered Marseillaise. The new songs for a time gave way to the old one; and ever and anon, during the three days, amid the thunders of the artillery, the ears of the absolutists were alarmed and offended by the swelling chorus of this popular anthem. The effect of music upon the mind in moments of difficulty and danger has been often dwelt upon. The inspiring sounds of martial music are con. stantly employed to lead the soldier to victory; and the populace of the three days instinctively cheered and supported each other behind their barricades by the same means. After the carnage was over, and when the people had leisure to reason upon their triumph, a poet conceived the idea that another national song was wanting to celebrate the victory, and M. Casimir Delavigne wrote the Parisienne; Auber composed the music, and in less than three months from its first publication there was hardly anything else in the way of music to be heard in France. Even Belgium and Germany caught up the strain, till every street minstrel gave up his own favorite chaunts to make way for the one which had so suddenly captivated the minds of the populace. There is not much in the poetry of this song; and the music is but a rifacimento of some of the finest passages of its great predecessor, the Marseillaise. It is light and graceful, with a dash of joyousness befitting a song of victory. Since the revolution of 1830, the French poets have in some degree lost their national characteristics. Louis Phillippe gives them nothing to sing about. Beranger has ceased to warble; and the remainder are. smitten with the love of Byron or Goethe, and waste themselves away in servile imitations of these models. Victor Hugo and Alphonse de la Martine are exceptions, and, it must be owned, illustrious ones, to this accusation; but they do not sing for France. Their poetry is the poetry of the drawing-room, and their names and works are alike unknown beyond the circle of the educated classes. In the next article upon this subject we hope to stray with the reader over the garden of German and Swiss poetry, and make acquaintance with such of their songs as are strictly the songs of the people; and which, like the French songs already quoted, are characteristic of the country, or were inspired by events of national importance. C. M. 260 THE GRAND JUROR; OR, SERVING MY COUNTRY IN GRAND STYLE. "A PRINTED paper!" said I; "what can it be about?" 66 Why, it's a summons, to be sure !" replied my wife. "A summons!" I repeated; and I added, in order to give a respectable finish to my speech, "very odd this!" But, though I said it was odd, I thought it was unpleasant, and even malicious; and for a moment I was disposed to entertain a very unfavorable opinion of Mr. Selvedge the linen-draper, Mr. Giblet the poulterer, Mr. Barrett of the Black Lion, and a few other neighbors from whom we take short credit, to save the necessity of writing a cheque for every trifling sum. The paper was brought to me, and I then found that it was indeed a summons, but not such a one as I had supposed, inasmuch as it required me, not to attend before the commissioners of the court of conscience, but to serve on the grand jury for the county of Surrey at the assizes about to be holden at Horsemonger-lane. I was a little disconcerted at this, as if I wish to be thought an excellent member of society, I have no objection to allow others to perform those duties which occupy some time, occasion trouble and expense, and bring no profit. Such being my taste, I felt no dissatisfaction when I discovered that there was a mistake in the spelling of my name, which is Goslington; but it was here made to appear Guzlington. This defect, thongh I had no doubt in the world that the summons was intended for me, would, I thought, fully excuse me from attending to it at all; and indeed I considered that it ought to be received as a perfect justification of my conduct in absenting myself if I stated that from the spelling I had supposed it must have been intended for some other person. But my wife decided that it would be better that I should attend at the time mentioned in the summons, to explain this matter; otherwise I might be fined, which she remarked "would be a fine business." I concurred with her in this; and accordingly went to the sessionhouse on the appointed day, mixed in the crowd, and waited till the names of the persons called upon to serve, as I had been, were read over. When the officer got to the word "Guzlington," I thought the time was come for getting off from the disagreeable task, and resolutely stepped forward, determined to make it known that they had no right to detain me there. The name of Guzlington was repeated. I heard the question asked "Is he here?" I then called out. "I-I-" But, not being in " the habit of public speaking," as the phrase is, I could not get any further. "He does not answer," said the officer. Yes," I called out; "I—I—” Say 'here'!" cried a grubby faced man on my left hand, whom I recognised as one of the parish constables. "Oh, he answers!" I heard the clerk say, and I saw him about to write something. "I wish to explain," said I, "that my name is not Guzlington." "Then what did you answer to it for? You called out here !'" said the clerk. "I was told to do so." "You were told to do so!" echoed the clerk, bestowing on me a glance of official contempt. "I suppose you know your own name when you hear it, and understand that you are not to speak for another." "I wish to explain," said I; and then, determined to finish this business out of hand, I went on: "a notice has been left at my house, addressed to Mr. Guzlington; but that," I added, proudly drawing myself up, "is no name of mine." "What is your name?" "Not Guzlington, but"-and now I thought the matter would be settled in a moment,-" but," I repeated, "Gosling-" "Very well, that will do!" he replied, and wrote in his book. The business was settled quite as soon as I expected it would be, but in a different manner; for the Testament was instantly handed to me, and I was sworn to serve as a grand juror. I was rather vexed at this result, as I knew it would cause my elo. quence to be very disparagingly spoken of at home. However, there was no help for it; and after a speech had been delivered by the chairman for the purpose of instructing us in our duty, which, from the noise that prevailed, none of us could hear, we were conducted to the room reserved for the deliberations of the grand jury. The first thing I saw when I got there was a bill of fare, which some of my fellow jurors proceeded immediately to take into their most serious consideration. I was favored with a perusal of it; and I really felt a good deal consoled for my recent failure while going over this document. Salmon, soles, fowls, tongue, saddle of mutton, custard. pudding, and tarts, all set forth in goodly array, seemed to promise a very considerable amelioration of the duties which I had to perform-for I took it for granted that the public was to pay for all; but my satis faction was considerably abated when I got to the end, and found it distinctly stated that seven and sixpence was to be charged to each individual. The names were now called over by the gentleman who had been named our foreman. When he reached what was supposed to be my patronymic, and which had been so carefully corrected in open court, I found that the officer there had considerably improved on the original blunder, and, instead of Gosling having been substituted for Guzling, the latter word was prefixed to my proper name, which accordingly appeared from this list to be Guzling Goslington! I started with indignation at finding myself thus described, and animadverted with considerable severity on the hurry and negligent man. ner in which the business of the country was performed by some of its officers, who were but too well paid. I doubted whether I could be compelled to remain, being thus improperly described; but my nextdoor neighbor, Mr. Kneller the undertaker, remarked that I had been sworn, and hoped that they should not lose the pleasure of my com. pany in consequence of a foolish mistake,-for such he and all the other jurors thought it; and they laughed at it therefore very heartily, or else but I have no serious reason for suspecting that-they laughed at me. I eventually decided to stay! for, besides being somewhat in doubt that the inaccuracy which I have mentioned would not be a legal justification for then absenting myself, I thought so to act might be con. sidered shabby, and I did not like to be thought meanly of for seven and sixpence. So my real name, Tristram, was inserted in the list. I insisted on this reparation; and I took my seat at the table with the rest of the company. And now began a very important proceeding indeed. It was necessary to know exactly how many gentlemen proposed to dine there. I permitted my friend Kneller to name me for onc, and immediately after this the foreman called upon me for a guinea. I did not clearly understand this; but, as Mr. Kneller told me it was usual, I thought it was better to comply with a good grace than to risk being suspected of meanness or of poverty. Nearly all the gentlemen present put down the same sum. The chairman remarked that we had thus got a snug little fund, which, the undertaker added, he hoped would keep us alive. I now concluded that the most disagreeable part of the day's work was over, for it is not pleasant to be taxed and laughed at; when my friend, Kneller, very good naturedly observed, that it was the first time he had had the happiness of seeing me there, and he believed I had never served on the grand jury before. 66 I answered, with great alacrity, that he was right on both points. Then, Mr. Foreman," said the undertaker, with all the grave wag. gery peculiar to the mirthful fraternity of which he is a member, "my friend here is a colt." "Bless me!" said the foreman, in the tone of one who had escaped no common danger, "I had nearly forgotten to look after the coltages!" And then, that this momentous part of his duty might not again be exposed to omission from his negligence, he proceeded to call over the names ceriatim, and to ask the owner of each if he had ever served on the grand jury before. Three besides me answered as I had done, and each was required to pay ten and sixpence for being a colt. The fine was rather unpalatable to a man of my economical turn, and I did not feel very grateful to Mr. Kneller for his services on the occasion. However, I put down the money with as good a grace as I could, and while doing so, attempted to be tacetious; remarking that "I suffered for being a colt, while many of my neighbors had nothing to pay on account of their being full-grown asses!" These important matters had hardly been arranged when a message came to us that the court waited, and could do nothing till we should have sent up some bills; upon which Mr. Wiggs, the chairman, said we must proceed to business without loss of time. He suggested that the best course would be, to take the cases of certain houses which were complained of by their neighbors, as upon these, probably, there would be little difference of opinion. We all considered this a very good idea; and to it we went against those questionable abodes, which were started, with all the indispensable |