The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-11 00:00:00

POETRY.

THE EVE OF BATTLE.
And what am I who thus can choose.
Such subject for so light a muse ?
Who wake the smile, and weave the rhyme,
in such a scene, at such a time.
Mary ! whose pure and holy kiss
Is still a cherish'd dream of bliss,
When last I saw thy bright blue eye,
And heard thy voice of melody,
And felt thy timid mild caress,
I was all hope—all joyousness !
We parted--and the morrow's sun—
Oh God ! my bliss was past and done ;
The lover's hope, the husband's vow—
Where were they then ?—ah ! where were thou?

Mary ! thou vision lor'd and wept,
Long years have past since thou hast slept
Remov'd from gaze of mortal eye,
The dreamless sleep of those that die ,
Long years !—yet has not past away
The memory of that fatal day,
When all thy young and faded grace
Before me lay in Death's embrace.

A throb of madness and of pain
Shot through my heart and through my brain ;
I felt it then, I feel it now,
Though time is stamped upon my brow;
Though all my veins grow cold with age,
And o'er my memory's fading page
Oblivion draws her damning line,
And blots all images—save thine.

Thou left'st me—and I did become
An alien from my house and home ;
A phantom in life's busy dream ;
A bubble on misfortune's stream;
Condemn'd through varying scenes to rove,
With nought to hope—and nought to love.
No inward motive, that can give
Or fear to die, or wish to live.

Away, away ! Death rides the breeze !
There is no time for thoughts like these.
Hark ! from the foeman's distant camp
I hear their chargers sullen tramp ;

On ! valiant Britons, to the fight !
On ! for St. George and England's right !
Green be the laurel—bright the meed,
Of those that shine in martial deed!

Short be the pang—swift pass the breath,
Of those that die a soldier's death !

NEW MARRIAGE ACT.

The following Notice is now circulating about
the parish of St. Margaret, Westminster; and a similar one is
spread in most parishes, particularly within the Bills of Morta-
lity :
Notice is hereby given, that before BAN:xs of MARRIAGE
can be published in the church, the new Marriage Act requires
that both parties, the man and the woman, shall make afhdavit
before the Minister of the parish, or one of his Majestys Justices
of the Peace, stating truly their christian and sirnames, the
houses in which they reside, either as occupiers or lodgers, the
TIME they have dwelt therein, and their AGES.
" As the names of the persons whose bans are intended to be
Published are to be fixed on the church door, and also in the
church, before the publication, it will be necessary that appli-
cation be made early in the week either to a Magistrate or the
Minister of the parish : if to the Minister, it is requested that
the applicants will call at his house ( here giving the address),
before ten o'clock in the morning, every day in the week, Sun-
day excepted.
" N. B. Unless the marriage is solemnized with three months
after the publication of bans, the bans must be republished."
It thus appears that the parties are not absolutely compelled
to go before Police Magistrates or Justices of the Peace. The
Act empowers the Minister to administer oaths for the swear-
ing of affidavits. This, is in fact, the mode adopted ; both
the parties, or, as the Minister of St. Margaret's call it, " the
man and the woman," proceed to the Minister's residence, and
swear the requisite affidavits before him.