7. 8. 9. 10. 11 The prophet spoke, the thunder rolled! "Yet there is time," the prophet saidHe raised his staff; the storm was stayed. "King! be the word of freedom given; What art thou, man, to war with Heaven?" There came no word. The thunder broke! Thick, lurid, stifling, mixed with flame, Loose as the stubble in the field, Lay, corpse-like, on the smoldering ground. Echoed from earth a hollow roar, Like ocean on the midnight shore; Still swelled the plaguea— the flame grew pale; Burst from the clouds the charge of hail; With arrowy keenness, iron weight, Down poured the ministers of fate; The seventh plague of Egypt is referred to. 12. 13. 14. 15. Till man and cattle, crushed, congealed, Still swelled the plague, uprose the blast, On ocean, river, forest, vale, Before the whirlwind flew the tree, Where are they?— Ask that foaming grave! The riches of Earth's richest zone, And, lo! that first fierce triumph o'er, To heaven the sage upraised his wand [In reading the following beautiful specimen of rhetorical dialogue the reader must personate four characters; the chief, boatman, lady and lord; and vary his voice so as to express the emotions, which prompted the language of the several speakers. See Personation, Plain and Rhetorical Dialogue, p. 62.] 1. A CHIEFTAIN to the Highlands bound, 2. "Now who be ye, would cross Lochgyle, "Oh, I'm the chief of Ulva's isle, 3." And fast before her father's men Three days we've fled together, My blood would stain the heather." 4. "His horsemen hard behind us ride; 5. Out spoke the hardy Highland wight, • Lochgyle, (lok-gile' ;) a lake in the Highlands, or north part of Scotland. b Heather (Scotch phrase ;) a shrub of many species. Bonny, (Scotch phrase ;) pretty, handsome Win'some, (Scotch phrase ;) cheerful, merry. 6. "And by my word! the bonny bird So, though the waves are raging white, 7. By this the storm grew loud apace, And in the scowl of heaven each face 8. But still as wilder blew the wind, 9. "O, haste thee, haste!" the lady cries, 10. The boat has left a stormy land, When, O! too strong for human hand, 11. And still they rowed amidst the roar Lord Ullin reached that fatal shore, His wrath was changed to wailing. 12. For sore dismayed, through storm and shade, His child he did discover; One lovely hand she stretched for aid, 13. "Come back! come back!" he cried in grief, Across the stormy water: "And I'll forgive your Highland chief, Wraith, (Scotch phrase ;) the evil spirit of the waters. 14. 'T was vain: the loud waves lashed the shore, Return or aid preventing ; The waters wild went o'er his child, And he was left lamenting. LESSON LXXXVII. A SCENE IN THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS." MELLEN. 1. We first came to the verge of the precipice, from which the water takes its leap upon a platform that projects with the rock many feet over the chasm. Here we gazed into the dell and the basin into which the stream pours itself from the beetling cliff. But the prospect from this point is far less thrilling than from below; and we accordingly began our descent. 2. Winding round the crags, and following a foot-path between the overhanging trees, we gradually, and with some difficulty, descended so far as to have a fine view of the station which we had just left. The scene here is magnificent beyond description. Far under the blackened canopy of everlasting rock, that shoots above to an alarming extent over the abyss, the eye glances round a vast and regular amphitheater, which seems to be the wild assembling-place of all the spirits of the storms; so rugged, so deep, so secluded, and yet so threatening does it appear! 3. Down from the midst of the cliff that over-arches this wonderful excavation, and dividing in the midst of the gloom that seems to settle within it, comes the foaming torrent, splendidly relieved upon the black surface of the enduring walls, and throwing its wreaths of mist along the frowning ceiling. Following the guide that had brought us thus far down the chasm, we passed into the amphitheater, and moving a Catskill mountains; a range of mountains in New York, extending along the Hud. son, 3804 feet above the sea. |