The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1824-11-11
THE vIs-cE OF LAFAYETTE.
III the D,.ageoas of .lug3eL,rg

TEzE vIs-oE OF LAFAYETTE,
II the Bungeoas Of Wog'fLtng.
1t was the close ola stormy day III the year
1881, that 4 soldier, on whose brow sat the
Grace of manhood, and the dignity Of COM
mand, was conducted BY an armed band Of
soldiers to the dungeons OF Magtcburg. He
seemed thoughtful and arHious, but above all
fear AS he looked round his cell, ard was
examining the gudgeons and hooks Of iron III
the nassy WALL a grim attendant whispered
in his ear, il 4 low and sullen voice" This
was the ten years residence Of the Chevalief
\ Irenci;." For moment his own niistor-
tunes were lost i'll contemplating the prottact-
&! stlifcrings of that noble and high minded
\ victim of royal jcalousy-and as the horror
of such Il confinement cntered tire soul, he
murmured an ilnpreCatiaA against dcspotic
/ power, united with a mental PRAYER for the
4 io0r-fost HbertteS VI H3aR.-lhc light, though
dim, was sufficient 10 show him tic hopeless
ness Of escape. EHhausted BY thef1tigucs at i
hurried journey he strcatchcd hisMrars limbs
Oh 4 pallet of straw thrown On the iloel oft the
Lungcon.--Thc thoughts oi his WIZ and chill
dfen occupied .his mind Tor ashaft tnie,
AM. alternately hurried and cltiilcd Ills plise
Int aitorcqmniittins hiaseliald them q .ll4t
B~irg Who sthe friend Of TIE captive ard the
sl4Nbcrs sNeetcl and rselEael tA4a tI.- har!
l.eattca opFfcasor, the niaer, tlse tff'eF-
can ctgr innw--s.eh :4s hnsa saNeeua9s
.lesscd tiivtntch a lls3;at maftsts .as ihe
csa ai their translation Is hc.cs N,.lti-~-
sttGA 4, iiampdstl, III s,iahaN, ;a.d !saasel
3lcpr, Just before they hied Iar ree1aa. lii
lhis leIeae Sisler caneApaa lt'0i "a pirit
tpr}c sud radi,,it a ''aly sfnoa i, iaHc him,
and announced herScsI is lhc Goddess Of Iii
bertr, as a messenger permitted by the Nr-
bitter 81 Destinies, to give the prisoncna fore
taste Of the things which were to BE brought
about. The goddess and her follower seem
cd transported in an instant to a space i'll the
air which overlooked his dear native France
There the richest blood in the land was flow
ing like water, and the corses of the noble and
brave were moullcring unhonorcd and un-
regarded. A savage shout of vengeance,
mingled with the shrcks OF despair and hor-
ror rent the air.-Sinking palaces and fanes
were smouldering around, and i'll the internal
smoke Il Colossal image arose, whose ele-
mcnts were iron, and brass, and ciay and
!, as the fierce and ambitious spirit which had
made it his abode threw his 6 voice upon the
viewless Winds" the dead and awful silence
I Of despotism leignetl throughout the land
On sudden the Temple Of Janus, the signal
Of foreign discor;l, was opencd-Bciona
, yoked hc1. fcry dragon$, and mored heriron
car. The war cry was raised by millions,
5 as thcy issued out for the fight-thesc dashed
against nations, and crowns and sceptrcs
: were troddcn into the dust. The image
. seemed increasing in height and magnitude
and an Imperial Diadem, not seen before,
was borne on his brow. The distant moaus
of expiring Principalitics and Powers were
heard on every breeze whitlwind follow
ed--thc scene was changcd-the Colossus
was gone, and in its place the faint and sickly
emblcms of former DAYS were seen to hold n
, shatowv sway Here" said the goddess,
tends the first act Of the drama--no further
is it permitted me to unfold futjtrity here :"
but as the curtain fell, the eye of the goddess
seemed lighted up with hope,-a good au-
gurv for some distant day. The place was
changcd-Oceans were passed, and other
worlds were in vicw--Naturc was here eXhi
: bitetl on the broadcst scale, and her freshest
look-Man seemed in the morning of his
existence, putting on all the energies of his
: character-Immensc forests were receding
before the busy inhabitants of the country,
|. and villages and cities were springing up, as
, it were, by magic spel-lndustiv, plenty,
! knowledge, and happiness, went hand in
| hand in the journey OF men. hls, said the
goddess, g is the iQSt Sreat .dsyiHm Of on
: }lfGSSPd URWUNUY. hS PiiooHet SH'N !"
still more piercing look, and exclaimed,
This is my beloved America there, and
nere fought, when freemen bled," burst
f from his lips The sun Of Empire shone with
bright and morning ray, and nothing des-
turbed the scene, excepting now and then a
/ transient cloud of party spirit Shot across the
]. horizon, and obscured for a short season the
, goodly prospect but the angel of political
wisdom was On the wing, and chased the
5 mists away. Througholtthc cXtcnded land
t scapc, the halls OF senates and the temples Of
Justice cast il cheerful glcam around and
$ alters dedicated to Almighty God, multiple
! cd as the tide Of population rolled on, from
which the incense ofgrateful hearts assembled
!, to heaven. The revolutions of wears were
/ seen III moments-monumcpt of the mighty
. dead appeared in silent groves and on sunny
IA hills: and History was among, them, busy i'll
u transferring the Inscriptions to her impeIish-
: able page-and Time was begging to sink
{ their dirge with his own " eternaiAhs." The
+ reverie of the gazers was broken by spon-
e taneous burst of JOY which came from the
: atlantic, and, echoing among the mountains,
died away in a wave ofthe ParWc myriads
n of frecmen were moving in cNstacy at some
: glorious event-countlcss soldiers, "TrhoSe
c armour da--led and zuhosc ftaneS zvaDed
c high" marched on.--Decripcd age, and
e lispng infancy, were thcre-where matrons
S were gathered round, and virgins pure and
4 .sxls, al