Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-10-31
MISCELLANY,
THE OLD HOUSE.

Spirit OF Hope! thy voice is dear as Loves own
sil'ry tone;
Like that it breathes of JOY, but leaves the heal
To break alone.
Spirit of Memry! though thy is besuiles us
Of a sigh,
III, less kew,,ching and sad, than that which
these supply. Ms. POEM.
How deliciously, yet how sadly, how
like tender and soul stirring dream,
come wandering al seasons over themind, ,
those scenes, and things, and persons,
that delighted us in our childhood, that
made the first Impressions on our inno-
cent and peaceful souls, and from which
we may pcrchance date the origin-the
awakening ut lepst-of all our tutu, i'm
pulses Of feeling, taste and sentiment! l
am no metaphysician to unravel the
mysteries Of mind, and to assert with
confidence that the child is the embryo
of the man; if it were so, why is the adult
Too frequently as different as darkness and
light, from his promise as a juvenile But
| may with confidence assert of myself
that | should probably never have pos
scssed an unbounded taste for all objects
of nature and art, had not been early
led to admire them by my uncle, the vir-
tuoso, and to his excellent library, of
which had in very early days the range.
l fancy myself also indebted for the seeds
Of poetry and romance, which now, over
poweriug every mental faculty. are
almost misfortune to me rather than
blessing, since they render real sober
life vapid, dreary, and annoying. In
brief, l met in the virtuoso's library with
Cervantes' inimitable satire, which l
then believed an authentic history, and
Sir Walter Scott's beautiful poetry; and
these gave me decided bias towards
antiquity, and all "reminiscences and rec
ords Of princely chivalry; at that period l
led charmed existcnco,-to my en-
chanted gaze every gentleman was a
knight-every lady disguised princess, 4,
and as looked for castles in every
house, did, to my ineffable satisfaction,
indeed find one in the Old House be-
longing to my great uncle, the colonel;
for this having been decorated, under
the tasteful! eye Of the virtuoso, in the
Gothic style, coincided pretty we'll with
beau ideal of such structures. Reader!
after this long digression, thou art arrived
at the Old House; there had been long
before, for these reflections formed but
trifling portion Of what were mine, on
rovisiting it for the first time since mere
childhood. How different were my SEN
sations! As looked over the oaken
| gallery into the great hall, it appeard no,r
!: mere nutshell, the house too was
changed-cvery thing was changed
aud yet knew that all I gazcd upon re-
tanned its place and appearance as mi
nutely as if had only stepped away one
moment and returned. The change, and
and this / fell, was in my own spirit. Oh!
how sad too, and how mysterious it was!
have said ] was looking from the gal
lery into the hall; faint CLEANS Of twi-
light struggling through the colored panes
Of couple OF Sarcenic windows, showed
murkily its black and grotesquely carved
oaken wainscot; here hung the ant'ers
Of some buck tseat bled, perhaps, cen
turies ago; there the remnants OF armor,
wore by some nameless hero, in the iron
age; opposite to me, its honest face glar-
ing white through the gloom, was the
house dial, struck, and forcibly brought
to my memory, some exquisite lines OF
Chaufcey Townsend's; for this too,.-
-" Had still chimu on, in the interval between,
While was wandering far away, through many
droary scene:
Each other voice may alter, but Time, doth
still remain,
Unchanged aud stern, as caring not FOR human
JOY or pair"
Beneath it was tho fireplace, after the
antique fashion-a plain ant capacious
stone hearth, with no CRATE, but an i'm
mense aperture for the emission ofsmokc
and the admission Of air. Our ances-
tors we're economical. On its left hand
was short flight Of stairs, leading on
one side to an ante-room, which was
furnished TO the probable fashion Of the
year one;-ths was an entrance into the
best, or great dining room--a cherries
apartment, dark, lofty, and containing
choice specimens Of furniture in tapestry,
damask, and carpet stitch. A castle is
nothing without ghost; and my wild
Imagination Of course took fright at this