Part 2 (1/2)
”There is a rose noble for you!” said Mrs Leigh
”And there another!” said Sir Richard And in a few old coins were in her hand But the old daold aon you, and Mr Cary's old won't buy back childer! O! young gentleentle on you this day, bringhi be on you!”
Aroup hurried on; but the lad's heart was heavy in the ht of John Oxenhah the churchyard, and down the short street which led between the ancient school and still e, across which the pageant, having arranged ”east-the-water,” was to defile, and then turn to the right along the quay
However, he was bound in all courtesy to turn his attention now to the shohich had been prepared in his honor, and which was really well enough worth seeing and hearing The English were, in those days, an altogether dramatic people; ready and able, as in Bideford that day, to exteeant, a ular drama For they were, in the first place, even down to the very poorest, a well-fed people, with fewer luxuries than we, but ood woollen clothes could be obtained in plenty, without overworking either body or soul,in pot- houses Moreover, the half century after the Reforland was one not ood spirits After years of du tiether like a hideous dreareeted Elizabeth's entry into London, was the key-note of fifty glorious years; the expression of a new- found strength and freedo; abroad inrecklessness of boys at play
So first, preceded by the waits, cae toward the town-hall a device prepared by the good rector, who, standing by, acted as showman, and explained anxiously to the bystanders the ireat banner was depicted Queen Elizabeth herself, who, in aale, a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other, stood triues, whose triple tiara and i of Spain; while a label, issuing from her royal in queen I reign, And spurn to dust both Antichrist and Spain”
Which, having been received with due applause, a well-bedizened lad, having in his cap as a posy ”Loyalty,” stepped forward, and delivered hireat Eliza! oh, world-famous crew! Which shall I hail more blest, your queen or you? While without other either falls to wrack, And light ht must lack She without you, a diamond sunk in mine, Its worth unprized, to self alone must shi+ne; You without her, like hands bereft of head, Like Ajax rage, by blindfold lust ht, you eyes; she head, and you the hands, In fair proportion knit by heavenly hands; Servants in queen, and queen in servants blest; Your only glory, how to serve her best; And hers how best the adventurous uide, Which knows no check of foemen, wind, or tide, So fair Eliza's spotless falobe, and shake th' astounded sky!”
With which sufficiently bad verses Loyalty passed on, while my Lady Bath hinted to Sir Richard, not without reason, that the poet, in trying to exalt both parties, had very sufficiently snubbed both, and intimated that it was ”hardly safe for country wits to attempt that euphuistic, antithetical, and delicately conceited vein, whose proper fountain was in Whitehall” However, on went Loyalty, very well pleased with hireat tinsel fish, a sale, waddled along, by s and a staff apiece, which protruded from the fishes' stomachs They drew (or see it behind, and cheering on the panting monarchs of the flood) a car wherein sate, airls in robes of gray-blue spangled with gold, their heads wreathed one with a crown of the sweet bog-myrtle, another with hops and white convolvulus, the third with pale heather and golden fern They stopped opposite A to hian with a pretty blush to say her say:-- ”Hither fro fen and furzy brake, Haunt of eft and spotted snake, Where to fill mine urns I use, Daily with Atlantic dews; While beside the reedy flood Wild duck leads her paddling brood For this ray, Close beside ard, up! 'Tis holiday, In the lowlands far away Hark! how jocund PlyhDrake's returning sail' 'Thine alone?' I answer'd 'Nay; Mine as well the joy to-day Heroes train'd on Northern wave, To that Argo new I gave; Lent to thee, they roaain' 'Go, they wait Thee,' Ta from my side Glad I rose, and atof the h, Down her cataracts laughing loud, Ock many a nymph, ells Where wild deer drink in ferny dells; While the Oreads as they past Peep'd fro slow, Knee-deep in flowers caentler Yeo And paused awhile her locks to twine With musky hops and white woodbine, Then joined the silver-footed band, Which circled down olden sand, By dappled park, and harbor shady, Haunt of love-lorn knight and lady, My thrice-renowned sons to greet, With rustic song and pageant irdled robe around Eliza's name henceforth shall sound, Whose venturous fleets to conquest start, Where ended once the sea Sol his steps shall count Henceforth from Thule's western mount, And lead new rulers round the seas Froolden tree, Solv'd th' Atlantic uarded fruit; While around the char loud, the Hesperids Watch their warder's drooping lids Low he lies with grisly wound, While the sorceress triple-crown'd In her scarlet robe doth shi+eld hi spells have heal'd him Ye, meanwhile, around the earth Bear the prize of old Waits for Albion's children bold; Great Eliza's virgin hand Welco Native wreaths as offering Sih their show may be, Britain's worshi+p in them see 'Tis not price, nor outward fairness, Gives the victor's palm its rareness; Simplest tokens can impart noble throb to noble heart: Graecia, prize thy parsley crown, Boast thy laurel, Caesar's town; Moorland e of Devon's Chivalry!”
And so ending, she took the wreath of fragrant gale fro froh, who made answer-- ”There is no place like home, my fair mistress and no scent to my taste like this old home-scent in all the spice-islands that I ever sailed by!”
”Her song was not so bad,” said Sir Richard to Lady Bath--”but how came she to hear Plymouth bells at Tamar-head, full fifty miles away? That's too much of a poet's license, is it not?”
”The river-nyhters of Oceanus, and thus of ians ofwas not so bad--erudite, as well as prettily conceived--and, saving for a certain rustical simplicity and monosyllabic baldness, se”
So spake my Lady Bath; whom Sir Richard wisely answered not; for she was a terribly learned e of critics, and disputed even with Sidney's sister the chieftaincy of the Euphuists; so Sir Richard answered not, but ansas made for hirated to the Court of Whitehall, no wonder if some dews of Parnassus should fertilize at times even our Devonman, some five-and-twenty years old, of so rare and delicate a beauty, that it seemed that sohts whoht to paint, had condescended to tread awhile this work-day earth in living flesh and blood The forehead was very lofty and sallants whispered that so at least of their curve was due to art, as was also the exceeding smoothness of those delicate cheeks) The face was souid mouth showed, perhaps, toopoint of the speaker's appearance was the extraordinary brilliancy of his complexion, which shamed with its whiteness that of all fair ladies round, save where open on each cheek a bright red spot gave warning, as did the long thin neck and the taper hands, of sad possibilities, perhaps not far off; possibilities which all saith an inward sigh, except she whose doting glances, as well as her resemblance to the fair youth, proclaih herself
Master Frank, for he it as dressed in the very extravagance of the fashi+on,--not so much from vanity, as from that delicate instinct of self-respect which would keep some men spruce and spotless from one year's end to another upon a desert island; ”for,” as Frank used to say in his sententious way, ”Mr Frank Leigh at least beholds h none else be by; and why should I be more discourteous to him than I permit others to be? Be sure that he who is a Grobian in his own company, will, sooner or later, become a Grobian in that of his friends”
So Mr Frank was arrayed spotlessly; but after the latest fashi+on of Milan, not in trunk hose and slashed sleeves, nor in ”French standing collar, treble quadruple daedalian ruff, or stiff-necked rabato, that had more arches for pride, propped up ire and ti and perfectly plain suit of dove-color, which set off cunningly the delicate proportions of his figure, and the delicate hue of his complexion, which was shaded from the sun by a broad dove-colored Spanish hat, with feather to ht ear with a pearl brooch, and therein a crowned E, supposed by the damsels of Bideford to stand for Elizabeth, which hispered to be the gift of so up was not without good reason and purpose prepense; thereby all the world had full view of a beautiful little ear, which looked as if it had been cut of cameo, and made, as my Lady Rich once told him, ”to hearken only to the music of the spheres, or to the chants of cherubiolden hair was all drawn smoothly back and round to the left tereat true lover's knot, a hty love-lock, ”curled as it had been laid in press,” rolled do upon his bosom Oh, Frank! Frank! have you cohers' daughters? And if so, did you expect to further that triu that pretty little pointed beard (with shaht vermilion? But we know you better, Frank, and so does your el after all, in spite of your knots and your perfuold chain round your neck which a Gerht fore-finger which Hatton gave you; and the pair of perfuave you; and the silver-hilted Toledo which an Italian ave you on a certain occasion of which you never choose to talk, like a prudent and ossips talk, of course, all the more, and whisper that you saved his life from bravoes--a dozen, at the least; and had that sword for your reward, and ht have had his beautiful sister's hand beside, and I know not what else; but that you had so many lady-loves already that you were loath to burden yourself with a fresh one That, at least, we know to be a lie, fair Frank; for your heart is as pure this day as when you knelt in your little crib at Burrough, and said-- ”Four corners to els round my head; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Bless the bed that I lie on”
And who could doubt it (if being pure themselves, they have instinctive syreat deep blue eyes of yours, ”the black fringed curtains of whose azure lids,” usually down-dropt as if in deepest thought, you raise slowly, al from some fair dream whose home is rather in your platonical ”eternal world of supra-sensible forms,” than on that work-day earth wherein you nevertheless acquit yourself so well? There--Iyou, or I shall catch the infection of your own euphuism, and talk of you as you would have talked of Sidney or of Spenser, or of that Swan of Avon, whose song had just begun when yours--but I will not anticipate; ive you her rejoinder
”Ah, ued scholar! and are you, then, the poet? or have you been drawing on the inexhaustible bank of your friend Raleigh, or net Immerito lent you a few unpublished leaves from some fresh Shepherd's Calendar?”
”Had either, madam, of that cynosural triad been within call of my most humble importunities, your ears had been delectate with far nobler melody”
”But not our eyes with fairer faces, eh? Well, you have chosen your nyood store fro Dulcineas round but lad to take service under so renowned a captain?”
”The only difficulty, gracious countess, has been to knohere to fix the wandering choice of my bewildered eyes, where all alike are fair, and all alike facund”
”We understand,” said she, sraces, Hi scholar capped her distich forthwith, and bowing to her with alook, ”'Then, Goddess, turn,' he cried, 'and veil thy light; Blinded by thine, what eyes can choose aright?'”
”Go, saucy sir,” said eant stays your supreme pleasure”
And aent Mr Frank as eant; while, for his sake, the ny daentleh, which Lady Bath overhearing-- ”What? in the du in your joy? Are you afraid that we court-dames shall turn your Adonis's brain for him?”
”I do, indeed, fear lest your condescension should et that he is only a poor squire's orphan”
”I arrant hiht that he should recollect,” said my Lady Bath
And she spoke truly But soon Frank's silver voice was heard calling out-- ”Rooallant 'prentice lads!”
And on they caiant of buckram and pasteboard armor, forth of whose stoe, to be greeted, as was the fashi+on then, by a volley of quips and puns fro Mr William Cary, of Clovelly, as the wit of those parts, opened the fire by asking hi, or Grantorto in the roiant's stoin with an O”
”Then thou criest out before thou art hurt, O cowardly giant!”
”Letin his buckram prison, ”and I soon show hiettest out of thyself, thou wouldst be beside thyself, and so wert but a iant”
”And that were pity,” said Lady Bath; ”for by the roiants have never overmuch wit to spare”
”Mercy, dear lady!” said Frank, ”and let the giant begin with an O”
”A ----”
”A false start, giant! you were to begin with an O”
”I'll make you end with an O, Mr William Cary!” roared the testy tower of buckram
”And so I do, for I end with 'Fico!'”
”Be iant,” said Frank, ”and spare the rash youth of yon foolish knight Shall elephants catch flies, or Hurlo- Thruonet the jester? Be s, like Etna when its windy wrath is past, and discourse eloquence fro”
”If you do begin laughing at iant's clock-face, in a piteous tone
”I laugh not Art thou not Ordulf the earl, and I thy humblest squire? Speak up, my lord; your cousin, an:-- ”A giant I, Earl Ordulf men me call,-- 'Gainst Payniht six thousand Turks I slew; Pull'd off a lion's head, and ate it too: With one shrewd blow, to let St Edward in, I sels warn'd in dream, I built an abbey fair by Tavy strealories up, The stanch old hound must yield to stancher pup; Here's one so tall as I, and twice so bold, Where I took only cuffs, takes good red gold From pole to pole resound his wondrous works, Who slew more Spaniards than I e'er slew Turks; I strode across the Tavy stream: but he Strode round the world and back; and here 'a be!”
”Oh, bathos!” said Lady Bath, while the 'prentices shouted applause ”Is this hedge-bantling to be fathered on you, Mr Frank?”