municates to you a nearer and more living record of their worth than you can possess in the memory of their actions or the perusal of their thoughts. It brings you into a more endearing approximation to the presence of the living man; and while we pay our heartfelt homage to departed merit, we feel as if surrounded with manifestations of existing excellence, breathing out of the corporal and intellectual similitude created by the skill of the statuary. I cannot gaze on these marmorean representatives of unrivalled genius -the sublime Milton--the all-mighty Shakspeare--the comprehensive Newton, without a feeling stealing over me of a more intimate communion with the undying spirit of exalted intelligence which emanated from the lives and works of that glorious triumvirate.”

"Pshaw !" exclaimed Mephistophiles, contemptuously. "You give yourself up to the influence of prejudices, superstitions, idealities. The impressions you experience are created by the imagination. They are poetic fallacies, mental delusions. From a philosopher I expected better things."

A pause ensued in the conversation, during which we paced along one of the aisles in that antique and magnificent edifice.

"See here!" he continued in his usual sarcastic tone, pointing to different parts of the structure. "Look at these gigantic columns and lofty arches! this show of Gothic grandeur! What think you it was created for? To make a religious impression! The pious men of old knew well enough what appearances would do in their favour, so they cloaked up religion in mystery and splendour, and made its temples distinguished for grandeur and sublimity. The multitude worshipped in fear and awe; and, what their spiritual advisers thought more to the purpose, paid well and willingly. Now the princely abbot and his lordly monks have given way to the little fat dean and their uglinesses the chapter. Instead of thronging worshippers, we find a few straggling cockneys led hither by curiosity; and in place of the liberal offerings of the devout, given with a prayer and rewarded with a blessing, a demand of fifteen pence each is made at the door by a growling cerberus there stationed; which having paid, the party are hurried over the abbey under the direction of an ignorant guide, who, in the

tone and manner of a Bartlemy fair showman, points out the lions,' and then dismissing them with a growl, hastens to attend upon his next customers."

The observations of Mephistophiles upon the wax figures, the Gothic ornaments, and several of the monumental designs, were delivered in a similar fierce and contemptuous spirit. He scoffed at all things. Images the most holy produced from him nothing but bitter sarcasms; and what others honoured with reverence, he distinguished with sneers. The influence of his example worked upon me with poisonous effect. I seemed to entertain the same sentiments. I walked along among the sanctuaries of so many generations without any better feeling than a vague and pleasurable curiosity.

We at last entered that unrivalled specimen of architectural magnificence, Henry the Seventh's Chapel. The effect of its innumerable beauties upon the mind of Dora was instantaneous and extraordinary. She gazed with a wondering and devout awe. Her eyes wandered from place to place-from the picturesque octagonal buttresses to the rich and elegant vaulting-from the variegated tracery of the windows to the harmonious arrangement of the tesselated floor-from the pendents of solid stone hanging from the roof, covered with the rarest specimens of decorative sculpture, to the innumerable statues of angels, patriarchs, martyrs, saints, and confessors, ornamenting the nave and walls. The niches, with their profuse carvings, grotesque and elegant, upon the canopies, where the dragon, the greyhound, the rose, the fleur-de-lis, and a multitude of other shapes, seemed rising out of the stone-the light shafts of the arches the banners and heraldic emblems of the knights of the Bath suspended from the walls-the elaborate decorations of the fretted roof-the wonderful carvings upon the oak stalls—the noble tomb of the founder-nothing seemed to escape her attention. That solemn feeling of devotion, likely to be created by the association of ideas, arising, in the mind of one religiously disposed, from the sacredness of the place, appeared to exert over her the deepest influence she felt that she was sheltered within the temple of

God.

Lady Brambleberry had no such feelings. With all her regard for the church, she was too much a woman of fash

ion to feel any deep or lasting impression from spiritual things. She expressed her admiration of everything with ready eloquence and with fashionable indifference. She did not say that Henry the Seventh's Chapel would make a handsome ballroom; but she thought so. Mephistophiles gazed on in scorn and contempt. At that moment the rich tones of the organ commenced spreading a peal of mighty harmony through the abbey, and the melodious voices of the choir came mingling with the sound, singing

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Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end."

The effect was electric. Dora kneeled on the cold pavement, and, with outstretched hands and streaming eyes, poured out her soul in prayer, forgetful that aught but God was near her. Never did there appear so beautiful an incarnation of purity and piety. Lady Brambleberry put her handkerchief to her face, took out her smelling-bottle, and wrapped her Cashmere shawl closer round her. The ecclesiastic placed together the palms of his hands, and lifted up his eyes to the roof. I was not unmoved. I felt a deep reverential awe stealing over me; but the good effect it would have produced was, in a great degree, destroyed by the attention with which I observed the actions of Mephistophiles.

He leaned against the stalls in a careless position, with his looks speaking the unutterable scorn of his heart. He shrouded his person in a large roquelaure which he wore on that occasion; but though his limbs were concealed, his features were visible. Features!-oh God, what features! There was then nothing human about them. His eyes were like caves of fire, glaring from under a sharp and narrow forehead, edged by thick and slanting eyebrows ;-his nose was beaked like the bill of a bird of prey, and from its wide nostrils breathed derision and malice ;--a sardonic smile of fiendish hatred dwelt around his blue and shrivelled lips-and his high cheek-bones, curved chin, and hollow jaws, were expressive of ferocity and contempt. His complexion was that of an Egyptian mummy, with tinges of a yellower colour where the light fell upon it; and his wild hair floated in clouds of darkness round his demoniac face. On his head he wore a curiously embroidered cap, similar

VOL. II.-F

in

A sort of

shape to those worn by the German students. fascination riveted my eyes upon him. I watched him in fear and horror. When the organ commenced, he appeared struggling with some superior power; his face was distorted with convulsions; his limbs trembled, as if with fear; and as the voices sung "Glory be to the Father," I saw him, as if mastered by an invisible control, slowly bend his tall body in adoration. In this posture he remained while the music lasted. At its conclusion he returned to the perfect disguise of the German prince; talked of the Holy Alliance to Lady Brambleberry, and quoted the fathers to the dean, till the former thought him the most agreeable man, and the latter considered him the most pious prince, in Christendom.

CHAPTER II.

A theatrical party--Mephistophiles' opinion of the present character of the British drama.-I am in love with the beautiful countess.Our conversation upon authorship, poetry, love, and other matters equally interesting.

WE dined together in Belgrave-square. The conversation was principally on the subject of my entering Parliament, and Lord Brambleberry favoured me with no inconsiderable quantity of advice concerning my parliamentary duties. I found the marquis a well-informed man; yet shallow in his opinions, and bigoted in his principles. He possessed some of the frankness of the soldier, with more of his rashness. He was distinguished by a round, open face, surrounded with whiskers; and a forehead not deficient in size, but rather wanting in intellectuality. Mephistophiles and he were shortly on excellent terms. They talked of mob orators, the similarity of atheism and radicalism, and the Peninsular war. They left me to the ladies. Shortly after dinner we proceeded to the theatre to a private box engaged for the occasion; and as on our way there sufficient conversation appeared to be going on without my assistance, I employed my thoughts in selecting a subject

for a work of a peculiar character it was my intention to write. Before the carriage stopped I had arranged my materials, and sketched out a plot. Dora sat by me with her hand in mine, and seemed, by the attention with which she regarded my countenance, endeavouring to trace the purport of my thoughts.

The pieces for representation at this national theatre were the translation of a French farce played by English actors, and a French ballet, danced by French dancers. One was a humorous development of gross libertinism, and the other an elegant specimen of voluptuous sensuality. Captain Fitz-Grey entered our box. He was well known to Lady Brambleberry, and they were soon eloquer.tly engaged in discussing the superiority of French actors, dramatists, dancers; in fact, of French everything. The marquis also made his appearance, and endeavoured to explain to Dora the merits of the entertainment. She did not appear to regard the performances or the conversation with much pleasure. Observing Lady Julia and her cousin opposite, whose party Fitz-Grey had left, I made a sign to Mephistophiles, and we both left the box without having been observed.

"How much the drama is degraded!" said I; " and is there so little native talent in the country, that we must import our farces from France ?"

"Why, there is some dramatic capability," replied my companion; "yet your playwrights will work with foreign materials, and if they do not borrow they steal.”

"And what has become of the moral of the theatre ?" I inquired. They used to aim at something of the kind. In the performances of this evening, however, such a thing does not appear to have been imagined."

"Moral!" exclaimed Mephistophiles with a laugh that roused the boxkeeper from his sleep; "who ever heard of morality in a theatre? Think you this gay saloon, and this crowd of beauties, were ever intended to forward the cause of morality? Do you imagine that the display of indelicacy on the stage we have just witnessed is calculated to improve the morals of the audience? Oh no! such effects are never dreamed of."

He was proceeding in a similar strain of well-merited censure, when we were interrupted by Sir Antler Taffrail.