"The wise man murmurs not, when murmuring,
Nor consolation nor repose can bring:
That which our plaints remove not nor repair,
In prudent silence let us learn to bear."*

"Take heed to trifles, words are dangerous things,
From a small corn the proudest oak-tree springs;
The mass ferments with one small grain of leaven,
Thorns grow from down, driven by the winds of heaven."+

As a curious elucidation of the habits of the fourteenth century, we give a pastoral adventure. It has the air of truth, and a little too much of the ruggedness of simplicity.

"I never, never, shall forget

The mountain-maid, that once I met
By the cold river's side.

I met her on the mountain side,
She watch'd her herds unnotic'd there:
'Trim-bodied maiden, hail!' I cried;
She answered, Whither, wanderer?
For thou hast lost thy way.'

Yes! in this thicket; sometimes woe
And sometimes bliss doth fortune bring;
I'll not complain of fortune now,
Since I have found thee, wandering
Where these green branches play.

I smiled; the mountain-maiden brave,
As born 'midst mountains, soon descended:
She said, 'A secret art we have
For brutes, and idle tongues intended.'
She seiz❜d a shepherd's crook,

* "El sabio gravemente non se debe quejar
Quando el quexamiento non le puede en pro tonnar
Lo que nunca se puede reparar ni enmendar
Debelo cuerdamente sofrir è endurar."

+ "De fabla chica dañosa guardose muger falaguera
Que de un grano de agras se faso mucha dentera
De una nues chica nasce grand arber de noguera
E muchas Espigas nasien de un grano de cibera."

Ala fuera desta aldea la que aqui he nomblado
Encontréme un Gadea vacas guarda en el prado
Yol dixe en buena hora sea de vos cuerpo tan quisado
Ella me repuso: ca la carrera has errado

Et andas como radio.

Radio ando, Serrana en esta grand espesura
A las veses omen gana ò pierde por aventura
Mas quanto esta manana del camino non he cura
Pues vos yo tengo hermana aqui en esta verdura
Ribera de aqueste rio.

Riome como respuso la Serrana tan sanuda,
Descendio la cuesta a yuso como era atrebuda,
Dixo: non sabes el uso, comos doma la res muda
Quiza el pecado puso esa lengua tan aguda
Si la cayada te envió.

Enviome la cayada aqui tras el pestorejo

Fisome ir la cuesta ayuso, derribome en el vallejo
Dixo la endiablada: asi apelan el conejo:
Sobarté, dis, el albarda, si non partes del trebejo
Levate, vete, sandio.

Ospedom et diome vianda, mas escotar me la fiso
Porque non fis quando manda, dis, roin, gato envuniso
Como fis loca demanda en dexar por ti el vaque riso
Yot mostraré, se non ablandas, como se pella el eriso
Sin aqua et sin rosio."

There are several striking hymns to the Virgin. We have

selected one:

Lady! to thee I turn my eyes,
On thee my trusting hope relies;
O let thy spirit, smiling here,
Chase my anxieties.

Most holy virgin! tired and faint
I pour my melancholy plaint,
Yet lift a tremulous thought to thee,
Even 'midst mortal taint.

Thou ocean-star! thou port of joy,
From pain, and sadness, and annoy,
O rescue me, O comfort me,
Bright lady of the sky.

Thy mercy is a boundless mine,

Freedom from care, and life are thine.

He recks not, faints not, fears not, who
Trusts in thy power divine.

I am the slave of woe and wrong,
Despair and darkness guide my song;
Do thou avail me, Virgin! thou,

The effects of love are strongly and well pourtrayed.

"Love to the slowest, subtilty can teach,
And to the dumb give fair and flowing speech;
It makes the coward daring, and the dull
And idle diligent, and promptness full.

It makes youth ever youthful, takes from age
The heavy burthen of time's pilgrimage;
Gives beauty to deformity-is seen
To value what is valueless and mean.

Enamour'd once, however vile and rude,
Each seems to each all wise, all fair, all good,
Brightest of nature's works, and loveliest-
Desire, ambition, covet not the rest.

Estrella del mar, puerto de folgura
De dolor complido et de tristura
Venme librar et confortar

Señora del altura.

Nunca fallece la tu merced complida

Siempre quaresces de coytas et das vida

Nunca peresce nin entristece

Quien à ti non olvida.

Sufro grand mal sin merescer, à tuerto
Escribo tal porque pienso ser muerto
Mas tu me val que non vio al
Que me saque à puerto."

*"El amor fas sotil al ome que es rudo
Fasele fabra fermoso al que antes era mudo
Al omen que es cobarde fáselo muy atrevudo
Al peresoso fase ser presto et agudo.

Al mancebo mantiene mucho en macebés
E al viejo fas perder mucho la vejés
Fase blanco è fermoso del negro como pés
Ho que non vale una nues amor le da grand prés.

El que es enamorada, por muy feo que sea
Otro si su amiga maguer que sea muy fea
El uno et el otro non ha cosa que vea
Que tan bien le parezca, nin que tanto desea.

Love spreads its misty veil o'er all, and when
One sun is fled, another dawns again,
But valour may 'gainst adverse fate contend,

As th' hardest fruit is ripened in the end."

Probably the verses on death, which are, however, too long for quotation, are one of the finest specimens of the archpriest's powers.

"Thou art abandon'd now, proud man! by all,
But the hoarse raven, croaking o'er thy pall."

ART. III. The true Intellectual System of the Universe, wherein all the Reason and Philosophy of Atheism is confuted, and its Impossibility demonstrated, &c. By Ralph Cudworth, D.D.

2 vols. 4to. 1743.

How seldom does it happen, that the actual productions of the pen are answerable to the conceptions and intentions of an author's mind! Either the style displeases, or the argument is felt unsound; or some inadvertencies in statement, some frustrations of beauty, some sinkings from the heights of his aspirations, make him wish some parts unsaid, and all said better, and some things introduced which have been passed by forgotten. But if there be nothing to displease in quality, there is oft times a sad deficiency in quantity. Ars longa, vita brevis, weigheth down the mind that museth on many things. The sighings of the author are, not for more worlds to conquer, but for a longer period of being to gather the abundance which nature hath spread for him, to enlarge the basis of his fame, and to fill up the measure of his thoughts. So that besides the legacy of his works, which the writer leaves to posterity, there is also left an inventory of intentions, and a catalogue of projected labours. Thus it has been with Ralph Cudworth. The ponderous work, of which we propose to give an analysis for the benefit of those who, before they undertake the task of journeying through it, may wish to have some directions con

Mas noble que los otros por ende todo cubre
Como un amor pierde, luego otro cobre
Que buen afuerzo vence ala mala ventura

El atoda pera dura grand tiempo la madura.”

VOL. VI. PART I.

E