The National Register. — London, England, 1813-01-31 00:00:00

THE NATION JAN. 31.. REVIEW OF LITERATURE. ROKE3Y - BY WALTER SCOTT, ESQ. Literary novelties, in the absence of those great events which influence the condition and the existence of king doms, may afford, we conceive, no unpicasing occupation to the mljority of our readers. Many will torn with feel ing; of relief and . swisfaction, fr om the consideration of actual distress and real horrors, to ponder on those relations of ; mimic misery which the pen of the poet has adorned. These we congratulate on the appearance of Mr. SCOTT'S new poem, and for these we shall endeavour to give a short sketch of the story it delineates, and shall over our opinion on those more peculiar beauties, or blemishes, which dis tinguish the pet fortnance. The date of the events described is immediately subse quent to the battle of Marston Moor, in which CROMWELL, and the Parliamentary forces, defeated the troops of CH ARLES. RoKEn' espouted the Royal, arid W YCLIFFE the Commons' cause. Their contiguous estietes (Rokeby of the one, and Barnard Castle of the other) were situated an the Tees. At these places, and the adjacent countty, the sanes of the poem are laid. Ossva srct. Is kr.. was awaiting with anxious impa tience the event of the harae o( Marston Moor, when the silence of night was broken by the arrival of a stranger at his castle. Ills anxiety, however, concerning the batt',e, was far short of that ‘vhich he felt for the fate of his kinsman MoitT II A whose (Lath, sin the fight, he had bat barously provided for by means of this stranger — On whose swart hr ow and callous face Sun worse than apathy had place ; Fot evil pasAons, loog, Had plun r ;hed them with impression strong. Ail 0.4 gives gloss to sin, ail gay Light folly, past with }oath away, But rooted stoud, in 11141)110(1(1's hour, The weeds of vice without their This assassin, BERT AM, a buccaneer, brave and fearless, had served under .Mo RT HAM in Mexico and Peru, had thrice saved his life, and now destroyed it ; because, sur rounded by priests, MORTH AM, melancholy and supersti tious, forgot, and disdained the soldier to whom he was in debted. The deed done, WYCLIF FL and BERT!: A M con sider the division of the spoil, and agree that the former, as vassal to the Crown, shall succeed to the estates of the de ceased, whilst the other shall receive all nose spoils of Indian seas and mines Warded in Mullin A M CaVe 114 dark, Ingot of gold and dia.nond walk. Chalice anti plate from diurches hornP, And beats from shrinking beauty torn : Each suing of pear!, each silver bar, And all the wealth of western war. With that distrust, which naturally subsists amongst thoie associated in vill.tiny, BERTRAM insists upon setting out im mediately to take possession of the spoil, accompanied by Wycs.tErE himsel—or his only son W ILFILID, a melan choly gentle youth, soft and contemplative, t stranger to the crimes of his father ; and held by him, whilst et he had other sons, in much contempt for his tmwarlike and stu- T Ssist the ambitious schemes of his AI, REGISTER. 73 Yet all 51.,tiLiti she gave, In pity ft) her gentiv sinve: e•teein, 'tid fair reg4rd And prahc—iiie poet's best reward ! So stood WrLialD'S suit, when the espousal of different fac tions divided the two families. In one of his usual midnight meditations of love, 1w is surprised by his father, and sent to accompany the rugged BERTRAM iu search of the bidden treasure. Journeying to the Castle of MORTIIANI, their way. lay through a w(:od,' which the superstitious et edulitv of the county had assigned to departed spit its. BERT RA NI, from his education, his habits, and his crimes, alive 4o unearthly terrors, is twice crossed by a figure—whether phantom or reality. Desperate even in his fear's, he resolves to follow it. Hu overleaps ravines in the pursuit, surmounts preci pices, treads almost impervious brakes—and is rejoiced by his more peaceable companion, but not until he arrives at Mo TI! A M'S deserted Ilk incoherent language conveys that the tot in which he had seen was MORTIIA M'S and that himself was his murderer. WILFRID, in hotror, draws his swot-a- on the self-convicted assassin: and is only saved from destruction in the unequal combat by the inter position of the same li4urc. BERT It AM retreats to the wood— and Mo II A NI, retiring, enjoins secrecy to WI LF RID COW • t cerning his existence. A party of WYCLIFF E's ()Bowers. headed by their Lord, arrive on the spot at this juncture. REDwas a O'N EA LE, no KEBY'S page, who had been charged with a mission to Barnard Ca.tle, is one of the train. Enraged at the stipinenesi of ‘V - vc.I.IFFE when infotmed of BERT R A m's crime, he incites the fillowers, and himself leads them, to seal ch the wood for the murderer. The In dian arts of BER l RAM teach him to elude detection. When all is still, he leaves his lurking place, and falls in with one whom at titi.t he takes fur an enemy, but, at length, discovers to be a dismissed follower of ItoKE KY, now inhabiting with a band of rufliAns, a neighbouring cave. GUY DENZIL BERI RA NI, in his adverse fortune, to become the leader of the patty. He accepts the offer, in the hope of h ea ping more certain vengeance on W YCLIFF Ep WILE RID, and HEDMON D. At Marston Moor, in the mean time, fortune declares against the Royal Paity, and ItoKEBY is lodged a prisoner in Barnard Castle. MATILDA, in company with WILFRID and ti ELI MOND, concerts a plan for joining her father in captivitv—and conveying a treasure which MORT RAM, her uncle, had consigned to her care, to a place of safety. Her gt ief for her father's mischance, and her dread of \Vv. cLi 1.• FE'S I aparit v of power and wealth, increase her distress at the thought of parting with her lover REDMOND. They had grown up tog;eller frAn childhood. For ()NEALE, when his _g randfather's lands in Ireland, had been seized by h os tile neighbours, was sent by him to ROKEDY, (who, with Mor. - rnA NI, had formely received from their family the most hospitable kindness) to follow fortune under that leader's aw.pices In conference with her friend and her lover, NiATILD A takes occr , sion to relate the history of MORT HA NI, she had received from him when en trusted with his treasure. AloaTHAm in love with a lady. who di&red f orn hint in religion and country, wedded her secretly, and brought her to his castle. For a few short months they enjoyed the extleme of happiness, unknown to dious disposition. To assist the ambitious 6c:ileum) vi u,a i monms parent, 311 but one dear . friend. T!iis man becomes enamoured of • WitrulD must love and woo the bright t h e ad y, an d is repu l sed in his presumptuous addresses. En. MATILDA, brit of RoLisv's knight. raged, lie eitd:.avours to excite MoaT H AM'S jealousy. The To love her was an easy ht•st, The secret empress of Ins breast ; hdy is observed stealing in the evening's gloom to a lone To woo her was a harder task wood. MoRT HA M, inst;Ocd by his traiterons friend, To one that durst not hope or wit : seizes his cross-bow--4olluws her steps—Surprises her hang-