Solution

of the plot.

Machinery.

„The host moves, like a deep sea wave,»„And with the ocean's mighty swing, Where rise no rocks its pride to brave, When heaving to the tempest's wing High— swelling, dark and slow...... 44 They hurled them on the foe..... e „Downl! dowy' cried Mar, your lanzes down:”I heard the broadsword's deadly clang Like reeds before the tempest's frown, As if an hundred anvils rang..... 46 That serried grove of lances brown Their banners stream like tatter'd sail, At once lay levell'd low..... 44 That flings its fragments to the gale....

There is nothing unnatural in Roderick's dying when the song is nearly concluded. We know him to be so extremely weak in consequence of the considerable loss of blood, that he is likely to die of the excitement which such a ballad must unavoidably cause him particularly as he learns that his clan would prabably have been victorious, but for his unfortunate absence:—.—

„Where, where was Roderick then!' One bplast upon his bugle-horn

Were worth a thousand men.“(st. 18.)

Meanwhile Ellen has been waiting for an audience and in returning to her we come to the solution of the plot. We are not surprised at her not taking any interest in all the magnificence surrounding her in the antechamber, for we not only know her to prize the beauties of nature more highly than the artificial luxuries of the court, but there is a second reason for her not taking any notice of them: she is so anxious about the fate of her father and that of her friend that

„The banquet proud, the chamber gay, 1 Scarce drew one curious glance away.“ Whilst she is still listening to the extremely beautiful»Lay of the Imprisoned Huntsman,“ sung, it seems, by Malcolm(st. 24.), she is amazed by Fitz-James's appearance, whose identity with the king she is still ignorant of..

Although the final solution of the plot is, on the whole, very touching, and nothwithstanding our appreciating the skilfulness with which, towards the close of the poem, the poet unites in the king's castle at Stirling all the personages we have taken a lively interest in, we cannot but find fault with the conclusion in various respects:— First, in stanza 27. we learn that, after an examination of their cause, a reconciliation has taken place between the king and Douglas on the same evening when Roderick was imprisoned in Stirling-castle. Is it natural that during this examination or after the reconciliation the king should not have said any thing of Roderick, in whose district he knows Douglas to have found protection? We are of opinion that a careful examination of their respective causes and the final reconciliation ould not take place without speaking of Roderick's preparations for war and for the battle, and on that occasion the king must naturally have told Douglas of Roderick's being under the same roof with them. That in the poem, he did not do so we clearly see from the conversation between Roderick and the minstrel, for Douglas would not have neglected visiting his generous friend, had he known him to be in the castle.— Secçondl, Considering the king's being a perfect gentleman, his tactlessness in making Ellen meet Douglas and Malcolm in the face of the whole court and his thus making a public spectacle of so touching a scene seems to be out of character. The poet ought to have made them meet in private, in order to let them enjoy their ineffable joy without being thus exposed to the looks of the court. He himself seems te be conscious of the awkwardness of the position into which he has brought them, as appears from the verses:—

„Gently he raised her,— and, the while,„Net would not James the general eye

Check'’d with a glance thecircle's smile“(st. 27). On nature's raptures long should pry.“(st. 28.) Perhaps it is to be objected to this cristicism of ours that the king intended to show the whole court the favour they met with from him. To this objection we might reply that there remained ample opportunity for distinguishing the Douglases before the whole court even after their first meeting in private and without profaning the holiest emotions, by exposing them to the impertinent looks of a court, represented as vain and servile. Thirdli, Douglas's and Ellen's indifference on learning Roderick's death is out of character. Fourthlip, Jeffrey observes:*Malcolm has to insignificant a part assigned him considering the favour in which he is held both by Ellen and the author!“—.

We have hitherto avoided saying much about the machinerx;, the songs interwoven in the principal action, and the versification of the poem under notice.