THE TRUE GREATNESS OF A NATION. THE TRUE GREATNESS OF A NATION. 278 washed out by the tears of all the recording angels of heaven. The true greatness of a nation cannot be in triumphs of the intellect alone. Litera ture and art may widen the sphere of its [CHARLES SUMNER, jurist, statesman and orator, was influence; they may adorn it; but they are born in Boston, January 6, 1811. After his graduation in their nature but accessories. The true from Harvard College in 1830, he studied law and was grandeur of humanity is in moral elevation, admitted to the bar in 1834. Before this he had become sustained, enlightened and decorated by the editor of the American Jurist, and subsequently he pre-intellect of man. The truest tokens of this pared for publication several important legal works, and was lecturer in the Law School at Harvard. In 1851 he was elected U. S. Senator from Massachusetts, able opposition to slavery, and for his advocacy of arbi- features. His speeches had more learning than Burke cared to show, but in wealth of illustration, gorgeous close." The true greatness of a nation is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual. It is not to be found in extent of territory, nor in vastness of population, nor in wealth; nor in fortifications, or armies, or navies; not in the phosphorescent glare of fields of battle; not in Golgothas, though covered by monuments that kiss the clouds; for all these are the creatures and representatives of those qualities of our nature, which are unlike anything in God's nature. grandeur in a state are the diffusion of the greatest happiness among the greatest number, and that passionless God-like justice which controls the relations of the state to other states, and to all the people who are committed to its charge. But war crushes with bloody heel all justice, all happiness, all that is God-like in man. "It is," says the eloquent Robert Hall, "the temporary repeal of all the principles of virtue." True, it cannot be disguised, that there are passages in its dreary annals cheered by deeds of generosity and sacrifice. But the virtues which shed their charms over its horrors are all borrowed of peace; they are emanations of the spirit of love which is so strong in the heart of man, The that it survives the rudest assaults. flowers of gentleness, of kindliness, of fideli ty, of humanity, which flourish in unregarded luxuriance in the rich meadows of peace.. receive unwonted admiration when we dis cern them in war, like violets shedding the perfume on the perilous edges of the precipice, beyond the smiling borders of civilization. God be praised for all the examples. of magnanimous virtue which he has vouchsafed to mankind! God be praised that the Roman Emperor, about to start on a distant expedition of war, encompassed by squadrons of cavalry and by golden eagles which moved in the winds, stooped in his saddle to listen to the prayer of the humble widow demanding justice for the death of her son! God be praised that Sydney, on the field of battle, gave with dying hand the cup of cold water to the dying soldier! That single act of self-forgetful sacrifice has consecrated the fenny field of Zutphen, far, oh! far beyond its battle; it has consecrated thy name, gallant Sydney, beyond any feat of thy sword, beyond any triumph of thy pen. Nor is the greatness of nations to be found in triumphs of the intellect alone, in literature, learning, science or art. The polished Greeks, the world's masters in the delights of language, and in the range of thought, and the commanding Romans, overawing the earth with their power, were little more than splendid savages; and the age of Louis XIV. of France, spanning so long a period of ordinary worldly magnificence, thronged by Marshals bending under military laurels, enlivened by the unsurpassed comedy of Molière, dignified by the tragic Let me not be told then of the vir genius of Corneille, illumined by the splendors of Bossuet, is degraded by immoralities tues of war. Let not the acts of generosity that cannot be mentioned without a blush, and sacrifice which have triumphed on its by a heartlessness in comparison with which fields, be invoked in its defence. In the the ice of Nova Zembla is warm, and by a words of Oriental imagery, the poison. succession of deeds of injustice not to beous tree, though watered by nectar, can VOL. VIII. 187 the clouds containing, or depositing the rain are opposite the sun, and in the evening the rainbow is in the east, and in the morning in the west; and as our heavy rains in this climate, are usually brought by the westerly winds, a westerly wind indicates that the bad weather is on the road, by the wind, to us; whereas the rainbow in the east proves that the rain in these clouds is passing from us. produce only the fruit of death! As we Phys. A rainbow can only occur when cast our eyes over the history of nations we discern with horror the succession of wondrous slaughters by which their progress has been marked. As the hunter traces the wild beast, when pursued to his lair, by the drops of blood on the earth, so we follow man, faint, weary, and staggering with wounds, through the black forest of the past, which he has reddened with his gore. Oh! let it not be in the future ages as in those which we now contemplate. Let the grandeur of man be discerned in the bless ings which he has secured; in the good he has accomplished; in the triumphs of benevolence and justice; in the establishment of perpetual peace. OMENS. [Sir Humphrey DaVY was born at Penzance, Cornwall, England, December 17, 1778. At an early age he displayed a taste for literature, especially fiction and poetry. His attention being directed to scientific pursuits he soon gave evidence of genius in that field of knowledge. In 1801 he went to London and became a lecturer at the Royal Institution, from which time his fame and usefulness steadily augmented. His imagina tion, literary skill, and practicality, give a popular interest to his writings. He died in the prime of his powers, at the age of 51 years. Our extract is from his little treatise on fly-fishing, entitled Salmonia.] Poict. I hope we shall have another good day to-morrow, for the clouds are red in the West. Phys. I have no doubt of it, for the red has a tint of purple. Hal. Do you know why this tint portends fine weather? Phys. The air when dry, I believe, refracts more red, or heat-making rays; and as dry air is not perfectly transparent, they are again reflected in the horizon. I have observed generally a coppery or yellow sunset to foretell rain; but, as an indication of wet weather approaching, nothing is more certain than a halo round the moon, which is produced by the precipitated water; and the larger the circle, the nearer the clouds, and, consequently, the more ready to fall. Hal. I have often observed that the old proverb is correct: A rainbow in the morning is the shepherd's warning Poict. I have often observed that when the swallows fly high, fine weather is to be expected or continued; but when they fly low, and close to the ground, rain is almost surely approaching. Can you account for this? Hal. Swallows follow the flies and gnats, and flies and gnats usually delight in warm strata of air; and as warm air is lighter, and usually moister than cold air, when the warm strata are higher, there is less chance of moisture being thrown down by them by mixture with cold air; but when the warm and moist air is close to the surface, it is almost certain that as the cold air flows down into it, a deposition of water will take place. Poict. I have often seen sea-gulls assemble on the land, and have almost always observed that very stormy and rainy weather was approaching. I conclude that these animals, sensible of a current of air approaching from the ocean, retire to the land to shelter themselves from the storm. Orn. No such thing. The storm is their element; and the little petrel enjoys the heaviest gale, because, living on the smaller sea insects, he is sure to find his food in the spray of a heavy wave, and you may see him flitting above the edge of the highest surge. I believe that the reason of this migration of the sea-gulls, and other seabirds, to the land, is their security of finding food; and they may be observed at this time, feeding greedily on the earth worms and larvæ, driven out of the ground by severe floods; and the fish on which they prey in fine weather in the sea, leave the sea and go deeper in storms. The search after food is the principal cause why animals change their places. The different tribes of the wading birds, always migrate when rain is about to take place; and I remember in the end of March, for the arrival of the once, in Italy, having been long waiting, double snipe in the Campagna of Rome, a great flight appeared on the third of April, Hal. I have in life met with a few things which I found it impossible to explain, either by chance coincidences or by natural connections; and I have known minds of a very superior class affected by them; persons in the habit of reasoning deeply and profoundly. and the day after a heavy rain set in, which | observed to shoot ill, because he shot caregreatly interfered with my sport. The vul- lessly, after his dispiriting omens. ture, upon the same principle, follows armies ; and I have no doubt that the augury of the ancients was a good deal founded upon the observation of the instincts of birds. There are many superstitions of the vulgar owing to the same source. For anglers, in spring, it is always unlucky to see single magpies, but two may be always regarded as a favorable omen; and the reason is, that in cold and stormy weather one magpie alone leaves the nest in search for food, the other remaining sitting on the eggs or the young ones; but when the two go out together, it is only when the weather is warm and mild, and favorable for fishing. Poict. In the west of England, half a century ago, a particular hollow noise on the sea coast was referred to a spirit or goblin called Bacca, and was supposed to foretell a shipwreck the philosopher knows that sound travels much faster than currents in the air, and the sound always foretold the approach of a very heavy storm, which seldom takes place on that wild and rocky coast, without a shipwreck on some part of its extensive shores, surrounded by the Atlantic. Phys. All the instances of omens you have mentioned are founded on reason; but how can you explain such absurdities as Friday being an unlucky day, the terror of spilling salt, or meeting an old woman? I knew a man of very high dignity, who was exceedingly moved by these omens, and who never went out shooting without a bittern's claw fastened to his button-hole by a ribbon, which he thought insured him good luck. Poict. These, as well as the omens of death-watches, dreams, etc., are for the most part founded upon some accidental coincidence; but the spilling of salt, on an uncommon occasion, may, as I have known it, arise from a disposition to apoplexy, shown by an incipient numbness in the hand, and may be a fatal symptom; and persons dispirited by bad omens, sometimes prepare the way for evil fortune; for confidence in success is a great means of insuring it. The dream of Brutus, before the field of Pharsalia, probably produced a species of irresolution and despondency which was the principal cause of his losing the battle and I have heard that the illustrious sportsman to whom you referred just now, was always Phys. In my opinion profound minds are the most likely to think lightly of the resources of human reason; and it is the pert, superficial thinker who is generally strongest in every kind of unbelief. The deep philosopher sees chains of causes and effects so wonderfully and strangely linked together, that he is usually the last person to decide upon the impossibility of any two series of events being independent of each other; and in science, so many natural miracles, as it were, have been brought to light, such as the fall of stones from meteors in the atmosphere, the disarming of a thun. der-cloud by a metallic point, the production of fire from ice by a metal as white as silver, and the referring certain laws of motion of the sea to the moon,-that the physical inquirer is seldom disposed to assert, confidently, on any abstruse subjects belonging to the order of natural things, and still less so on those relating to the more mysterious relations of moral events and intellectual natures. SONNETS BY ALFIERI. [COUNT VITTORIO ALFIERI, one of the most eminent Italian poets, was born at Asti, Piedmont, Jan. 17, 1749. He composed numerous tragedies, comedies, satires and lyric poems. Among the most celebrated of the trage. dies, are Virginia, Orestes, Abel, Mary Stuart, Octavia, and Saul. He died Oct. 8, 1803. The following sonnets were translated by W. D. HowBLLS.] HE IMAGINES THE DEATH OF HIS LADY. Clamors and bids me still renew my tears, With wandering fantasies and cheating fears; A little from my sight I seem to see At life's bourn lying faint and pale with pain,- "I grieve for thee, love, that thou winnest naught 276 PERSONAL MANNERS OF NAPOLEON I. Save hapless life with all thy many sighs." gar when he wanted to be simple. often "Life? Never! Though thy blessed steps have introducing a harlequin trick in the midst taught My feet the path in all well-doing, stay !— At this last pass 'tis mine to lead the way." HIS PORTRAIT. Thou mirror of veracious speech sublimo, An aspect good; white skin with eyes of blue; Face paler than a throned king's in hue; With mind and heart in endless strife embroiled; PERSONAL MANNERS OF NAPOLEON I. [PIERRE LANFREY, French historian and diplomatist was born at Chambéry, Savoy, in 1828. His first work The Church, and the Philosophers of the Eighteenth Century (1857), made a marked impression, which was deepened by his subsequent writings. His great work is a History of Napoleon I., which was left incomplete at the close of Vol. V., by the death of the author, Nov. 16, 1877.] Grave, reserved, and silent as he [Napoleon] was at the time of his début, he, now that he had no longer to impose any restraint upon himself, spoke very loud and used many gestures. He expressed the most decided and absolute opinions with extreme volubility, and with an eloquence which he had created for himself, that was full of imagination, of glow and of fire, but that was also unequal and incoherent. None knew better than he how to be by times flattering and imperious, insinuating and haughty. But he had no moderation; which ever character he assumed, he assumed completely, as a man accustomed to dazzle, to subdue, to be always acting. He consequently easily became pompous when he wanted to be dignified, and vul of a tirade after Talma. There was no doubt a powerful seduction in his language, but it was a kind of armed speech which made his interlocutor suspicious, and overwhelmed without persuading him. The artifice, the calculation, the intention of laying hold of his oppo nent and drawing him along by the abun dance, the accumulation, and impetuosity of his ideas were all too evident, and the result was that his conversation was most frequently only a long monologue. Men came away from the interview astonished, silenced, but not convinced. His natural violence was betrayed at every instant by vehement gesticulations and hasty expressions. What he wanted most was ease. He had none of the coolness, the simple and calm dignity, of a man who is master of himself, who says plainly what he means, and who knows what is due to others. This sublime player had one great defect in his style of actinghe allowed the immense contempt he felt for humanity to be too clearly seen. The courtesy that gives such a charm to social intercourse does not depend on insinuating manners; it is based upon respect for others; and when this respect is not felt, the great art is to be able to feign it. Macaulay, in comparing Napoleon to Cæsar, very rightly says that Cæsar was greatly his superior on one point, he was a perfect gentleman. Talleyrand wittily expressed nearly the same thing when he said, "What a pity that such a great man should have been so badly brought up!" If we may judge, not from the reports of his enemies, but from the disclosures of his most faithful and devoted servitors, Napoleon treated those who were admitted into his intimacy with a familiarity that no man who had any self-respect would have tolerated for a minute. Meneval, his former secretary, represents him as pulling the ears of his interlocutors, sometimes hard enough to make the blood flow, giving them a slap on the cheek, at times even sitting down on their knees. These acts of graciousness were marks of special kindness with him, and men of the highest rank were proud of such tokens of his favor. Such habits were calculated to produce stiffness in his manners with strangers. He was too familiar when he wished to please, and too stiffly declamatory when he wished to command respect. FRIAR THOMAS AND HIS REFORMING CRUSADE. FRIAR THOMAS AND HIS REFORM ING CRUSADE. [ENGUERRAND DE MONSTRELET, the celebrated chroni eler, was born at Cambrai about 1390, and died July 20, 1453. He wrote a chronicle of the history of France from the year 1400 (where Froissart stops) to 1444.] In this year, a friar called Thomas Conecte, a native of Brittany, and of the Carmelite order, was much celebrated through parts of Flanders, the Tournesis, Artois, Cambresis, Ternois, in the countries of Amiens and Ponthieu, for his preachings. In those towns where it was known he intended to preach, the chief burghers and inhabitants had erected for him in the handsomest square, a large scaffold, ornamented with the richest cloths and tapestries, on which was placed an altar, whereon he said mass, attended by some monks of his order, and his disciples. The greater part of these last followed him on foot wherever he went, he himself riding on a small mule. Having said mass on this platform, he then preached long sermons, blaming the vices and sins of each individual, more especially those of the clergy. In like manner he blamed greatly the noble ladies, and all others who dressed their heads in so ridiculous a manner, and who expended such large sums on the luxuries of apparel. He was so vehement against them that no woman thus dressed dared to appear in his presence; for he was accustomed, when he saw any of them with such dress, to excite the little boys to torment and plague them, giving them certain days of pardon for so doing, and which he said he had the power of granting. He ordered the boys to shout after them, Au hennin, au hennin !* even when the ladies were departed from him and from hearing his invectives; and the boys, pursuing them, endeavored to pull down these monstrous head-dresses, so that the ladies were forced to seek shelter in places of safety. These cries caused many tumults between those who raised them and the servants of the ladies. Friar Thomas, nevertheless, continued his abuse and invectives so loudly, that no woman with high head-dresses any longer *Au hennin. This was the name given by the preacher to those ridiculous colossal head-dresses worn by the ladies in the fifteenth century. 277 attended his sermons, but dressed in caps somewhat like those worn by peasants, and people of low degree. The ladies of rank, on their return from these sermons, were so much ashamed, by the abusive expressions of the preacher, that the greater part laid aside their head-dresses, and wore such as those of nuns. But this reform lasted not long, for like as snails, when any one passes by them, draw in their horns, and when all danger seems over put them forth again, so these ladies, shortly after the preacher had quitted their country, forgetful of his doctrine and abuse, began to resume their former colossal head-dresses, and wore them even higher than before. Friar Thomas, however, acquired very great renown in the towns wherein he preached, from all ranks of people, for the boldness and justness of his remonstrances, more especially for those addressed to the clergy. He was received wherever he went with as much respect and reverence by the nobles, clergy, and common people, as if he had been an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, sent from heaven to earth. He was followed by multitudes of people, and his mule was led by knights, or those of high rank, on foot to the house wherein he was to lodge, which was commonly that of the richest burgher in the town; and his disci. ples, of whom he had many, were distri buted among the best houses; for it was esteemed a great favour when one of them lodged in the house of any individual. When Friar Thomas arrived at his lodgings, he retired to a private chamber, and would not be visited by any but those of the family, except for a few moments. At the conclusion of his sermons, he earnestly admonished the audience, on the damnation of their souls and on pain of excommunication, to bring to him whatever backgammon-boards, chess-boards, ninepins, or other instruments for games of amusement, they might possess. In like manner did he order the women to bring their hennins,and having caused a great fire to be lighted in front of his scaffold, he threw all these things into it. . At his sermons he divided the women from the men by a cord; for he said he had observed some sly doings between them when he was preaching. He would not receive any money himself, nor permit any of the preachers who attended him to do so, but was satisfied if presents were made to him of rich church ornaments, if his disciples were |