The Sun.
London, England, 1816-07-06 00:00:00

" THE ARGUMENT.

"In the of 1 8 14, two Strangers, a LadY and a Gentle-
man, were disembarked with a few domestic's on a small and
thinly inhabited Island in the Mediterranean, not many
leagues distant from the Tile of Elba. They excited same eu-
rinsity, which was subseinently mach increased by a singu-
lar occut tench that happened to them, during the Autumn of
the same year, in consequence of a visit paid to the Island by
Napoleon Bunnaparte: A very short time ago, the gentle-
man having been with considerable difficulty traced to his re-
tirement by the afiektittuate exertions of a Brother, who had
recently returned front Amerlea, Was persuaded to reveal the
cause which had originally led him to seek, and that which
still induced .him to retain, his romantic seclusion. Though
be evidently laboured to command his emotion, 'and Was std•
ficiently methodical in the greater part of his narrative, yet
hie deportment, at some particular moments of . the recital,
almost indicated insanity. His story, as thus rented by him-
self, is the tinhject of the following Poem,"

he story unfolded is that of a dattOter of tbe
Spanisk Monarch, who out of sympathy releases
from prison Ramiro, one of the insurgents con--
denoted for rebellion against the restored Sove-
reign. Ramiro bad aspired to her love, but, it
appears, withunt retorti.--LWe may here statek
that we differ entirely from the Author's view of
the poEtics of Spain.]---The Princess is herself
committed to a castle on the sett.shore, and
doomed to expiate her offence; in liberating Ra-
miro, by death. She is under the charge of the
Stranger; and the following is a beautiful tles.crip7
tion of the relative situation of time lovely Pri-
soner and her adoring
" Oft, on the ramnpire of that sea-beat tower,
'While slow she paced the loue and dismal hour;
,•, I gitz'd her till my throbbing brain
Seeped splitting with its agony of pain.
Oft, when her look met mine, the meaning there
'Would seem to tax me with a calm debt air.
•Hef e,yo would downward glance upon the sea,
Theo turn, and fix its fall appeal on me.
There was a (pia language in 'its ray,
that secni'd 'with mild upbraiding thus to say i •
From Thee at least, in her extremest grief,
• Unhappy Isabel might claim relief !
Fell many a prow awakes yon ocean's splay,
Aild will not one waft Isabel away?
• Yon ocean leaves full many a cavern'd roclt, •
And is there none to screen her' front the block
Fair sufferer, yes l''

They escape to Elba, are married, and live hap.
pity in solitude for several months ; anti this part
of the poem abounds in excellent specimens .of
desetiptive power.
Rtimiro, however, disiovers their retreat, and In
an encenniter wounds the husband of Isabel with
a poisoned dagger. She resolves to imitate the
cantina of Eleanor of Castile, in The Holy Land,
as related in the historrni Edward the First; and
the account of her self-devotion to the sactiliee,
is thus happily penned •
Stretch'd on a conch I vainly sought repose ;
111); Wollild.beg:to to shoot with ardent throes
Thtt the prowpt ..Lanil of my attentive bride
A lulling potion to toy thirst applied.
A soft oblivious slumber o'er me stole, ,
And is delightful vision chanted my Soul.
I rircrut'd I felt the agony of death ;
My spouse was watching. o'er my fleeting breath ;
Imploring Heaven, with sighs, and tears, and prarr,
BM yet some transient space my days to spare.
Ilcr Patron Angel at her grief descended,
6
His tooth the dire mortahty suspended,
dsa'd ail my tremors, banished all nay pain,
Aud life wad hi ilth roll'd back throngh everrveln.
The sudden transport caned my sleep to break
• lint God !0. God! to what ditil u*alte !
There was indeetLan Angel at niy side—
My fowl, heroic, dear, devoted bride.
Upon the door she knelt beside my bed;
And o'er my out-preteled arm inelited her head.
• •Ifer lips.!—those cherub lips %Was heaven to kiss,
Those soft delicious ministers of bliss,
Where everlasting fragrance freshly sprung,
Whence mimic breatled,atid where enchantment hung.
Those lips around my milted wounds were glued,
And 'thence the poison with the gore imbued !
Yes, suck'd the rank-infection of my blood,
And to the dregs dr:died forth the tainted'dood
I snatch'd my arm aside, with wild affright,
Yet hop it some fantasy deceiviti my sight.
Ali no: it hmli'd too horrid to be true; •
DLit 'twas no fantasy that Mocit'd my view.
Illy matchless Isairel had sigii'd her
An,/ now all antidote was tried too late.
Nitric% my meaner life, her own was lost;
Who would have keen immortal at such con?"
Unlike the wife of Edward, however, this-act
of devotedness is fatal to Isabsi. far death is al,