The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-03-01 00:00:00

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* "On i sofli-seiMy . M iirithitr, in the: ,month or
. ,
Slay, I Made an excursion to Windsor, to viva tne
Castle. It is a proud old pile, stretching its irre-
giolior well. and "massiive toseers along the brow 'of .a
lefty ridge; reilleitLito• Aril bonnier in the clouds,
and looking deven'efrithii lordly air 1111011 the itir-
'rounding world. it is a place that I love to visit,
lor it is full of storied awl poetical associations.
On this morning, thir 'leather was of that port trees •
nal kind that confider* the latent romance if a I
man's teuspersesseeereud woke* him Tune portfr,
and dream of buosty4. ;In'Avandering through the
inaguiticent saloon, and !dog echoing galleries of
the old castles, I telt myself most disposed to in.
ger iii the chamber where hang the portraits of the
beauties that once flourished to the gat court of '
Charles the Second.
.6 As I traversed the large green cowrie, with
sunshine beaming 011 the gray well+, awl glancing
slung the velvet turf, I called to .id the tendon
the gallant, but hapless. Surrey'e account. of pat
loiteeings about them ii. fits stripling Jaya, when
enamoured of the Lady Gerald-me.
. " With eyes east ow tato the maiden's tower— '.'t
With easia sigh*, such as men draw is hive." Ui
" But the most iuterestiseg object of my vita%
vow the auttent keep of the castle, where 3atwes
the First of Scotland, the pride and theme of
Scottish poets and historians, was for enemy yews of
his youth detained a prisoner of state. It is it huge
gray tower, that has stood the brunt of ages, and
is still in good preservation. A great flight of steps
leads to the interior. lii the armoury, a Gothic
hail, idled with wealionti of riotous kends, is still
above:, hanging against the wall, a Suit of armour
that once belotsgeJ to J4111e1„ Fllllll Ilrllee 11 Stair
eaae conducts to a astir of •partenenia of faded
inagniticeoce, bong with gobelia tapes's", which
formed JlllllCs'S primn.
" The whole history of this amicable lieft.1001:
tuMite Prater, is highly romantic, adsiAlllo'.ol,ll
known to need particular relation; •a i. teen tender
age of eleven, he was sent f home Istifitiiii father
Robert Third, and destined foe the French court,
to be reared wider there ut the Freiech Meowed.,
secure front the treachery and danger that stirs
rounded the royal house of Scotland. It was his
mishap, in the course of his voyage, to fall into the
hands of the E.slish, awl lie was detasiord prisoner
by Henry IV. nutwitlistauding that a truce existed
between the two countries.
" The intelligence of capture, coming in the
train of many burrows and diameters. proved fatal to
his unhappy father. The news, we we told, was
brought to him while at snapper, and did ao over.
whelm him with grief, that he cal almost ready to
give up the ghost into the hands of the servants
that attended him. But being carried to his bed-
chamber, he abstained !runs all food, and iu three
days died of hspaiger sad grief at Rothesoy.
" James lla, *sod to ceptierity for 11 years;
lerstohough ow re
.or personal liberty, he wo
stiii
treated with,( ,respect due to his rank. Care
was taken to instruct him to all the brineches of
us-,/tal knowledge cnitivisted at that period ; wed to
give him those mental will personal accomplish-
ments deemed proper fur a Nimes..
" Perhaps, in this respect. his imprisonment
was an advantage. as it enabled him to apply
himself the more exclusively to his improvement,
and quietly to imbibe that rich fund of knowledge,
feud to cherish tlime elegant tastes, which have
given such a lustre 10 hie memory. The picture
drawn of him in ere ly life. by the Scottish historians,
it. highly captivating, and arms rather the deecrip-
bon of ti hero of romance, than a clviracter of real
history. lie was well learnt, we are told. to fight
with the sword. to jouet, to touriray, to Wrestle, to
Sill and dakce; lie wa• an expert snedicitwr ; right
crafty in playing both at lute uil harp, and sins.
diy other nestaiiiiients of music; and was expert in
gratirmirr, oratory, and poetry,
t, With this Cl/111himinisoss 1.1 1•111111 y mid delicate
accomplislimenes, lining him to shine both in active%
sod elegant life, and calculated to give hien an in-
tense relish for joyous existence, it must have been
a severe trial, iii an age of bustle Heal chivalry, to
pew the spring time of has years in monotonous
captivity.
" Some minds corrode stai grow inactive, under
the loan( personal liberty ; others, morbid and ir-
reliable ; but it is the liable of the pftet till become
tender and imaginative in the !towlines.. of confine-
ment. He besiquets upott tile 'Riney of his own
thoughts ; and, like the captive fated, pouts forth
lits soul in melody—

" Have you not men the aightingale?
A pilgrims Fouled into a cage ;
How doth she 'Alma live wooled taie,
1u that her kmely hermitage?
Even thou her charming turtudy Jolla prove.
That all her Loughs are trees, her cage a grove.

" Indeed, it is the divine attribute of the iniagi-
tuition, that it is irrepressible, uncoolimble; that
when the real world is ►hut out, it can cleat's* world
for itself, mud, with a necromantic poser, can con-
jure up glorious shapes cud forms, and brilliant vi-
sions, to make solitude populous, sr.d irradiate the
gloom of she dungeon. Such was she world of
pomp and pageant that lived around Tam, its his
&stub' cell at Ferrara, when Ise conceived the splen-
did scenes of his Jerusalem ; and we may consider
the King's Quair, composed by James, tioritig his
captivity at IVitidsor, as &souther of those beautiful
breaking; forth of the soul from the restraint and
gloom of the prison-house. The subject of the poem
is his love for the Lady Jane Beaufort, slaughter
of the Farl of Somerset. Ue sew bee accrtlrutally
from the windows of his prison, and dell iu love with
her in the true spirit of poetry and r ttttt mice. The
poem is a rich effusion of feeling end fancy ; full
of the descriptive vein which characterises the
poetry of that day. and sobered cud sweetened by the
most simple and natural reflectious. James flou-
rished nearly about the time of Chaucer and Gower,
and was evidently a studies. awl admirer of their
writings. Indeed, iu one of his statues. he acknow.

The following descriemion of this Castle, from:
the pen oE,ily • 4ffifiejelstAtnericau, of
Xici great !Stern a! si es aim
,t reel oil, pity/Tent
•t ooil it rin shit! it ?uselaps-
"Likiljr eitidedilsrs slitiiit a ts?iii,,, no* Jaw-
lul'e h Am recent dleV 'n id;Ylol4i: 416/1"1414 .60.1/1"
.tilign. It is 60iii • ;Intik tit Ainerieisei Lit tie
ft the Number 41113/ackivood's.iffettugh. Nip-
. :i.e, published AU (lily :L--;,'1:14,:.,„ ,