The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1837-10-25


whose summit the scenes of his Young ex-
ploits, his early loves, his lona-lnst happi.
ness, were about to be spread before hi.
gaze, yielding 10 the torrent of his feelings,
he stirred bis charger with the spur. anu
dashed up the long and broken ascent, nov
plungng through mire ie,lock- k-deep, nov
striking dust and fame from the bare rock
as madly as though the avenger Of blood
were on his track. The top was gained
and beneath hun lay stretched in tar per-
spective tho lovely vale, with the thousand
windings of its broad river, here glancins
like silver to the morning sun, there creep.
ing away IN silent rippes under the shad-
ow of bank and thickel. Cold mus, be-
the feelings, or heavy the heart of him who
would not inger and turn again To gaze on
so fair valley, bounded by the heath clad
hill aud blue mountain, rich in the luxur-
iance of cornield and pasture, embossed
with dark tracts of woodland, aud broken
by coppice-like hcdgerows, whilst here aud
there the csstella,cd dwellings of many a
noble baron frowned from some boder
height, or the Gothic arches of monastic
pile, or lowly hermitage, peeped forth from
the dense foliage Of embowering glade, .r
sunny upland. Cold must be the heart,
even of n stranger, who could gaze on such
n scene, without feeling his bosom glow
with love towards his kind, aud grali,ude
TO the Creator and giver of every good aud
perfect gift. What then must have heen
the feelings Of Francis Audeley as he gazed
over that familiar landscape, unchanged
aud lovely still, when all but the face Of ma
meath him the woods which had rung a
ihousand times to his joyous shout; The
creeks and eddies of the stream, where he
had mimicked IN boyish sport the voyages
of olden time; the lanes, where he had wan
dered many = moonlight eve, and whispers
ed his ardent pleadings of love, TO one, now
the willing bride of another or perhaps re-
moved even farther from his reach, in the
silent and shadowy regions Of the grave.
His heart rose into his throat, he struggled
for breath, Ms he checked his painting cours-
er on the brow /; the memory Of past hopes
and JOYS crowded on his brain, faster even
than the images of the gorgeous view lhrong-
ed on his eye :--whers wus the spirit thai
could quail to mo earthly cnlanity now
where now the stubborn resolution, whicl
had Ioohed uomoved on the faggot aud tor
lures of the Indinn where now the bossted
stoicism which had borne its disciple through
dagger, pain, and sorrow, fearless and Un-
flinchingl The Indignation of the exile,
the pride of the soldier, the GOODNESS of the
philosopher. had vanished in nm instant, ab-
sorbed in the mightler emotions of nature !;
a fleeing moment had changed the crafty
politician, the deeply-read student, the uni
versal traveller, the citizen Of the world, in
to mere man, ms subject To his passions, as
susceptible to his affections, as simple-heart-
ed IN his emotions, as the child who pours
forth his first sobs and !amcntaiion on the
bosom of its mother. Flancis AudeIey
wept,-he sat iminovable, with the large
tears conrslng one another down his cheeks,
unwet for years by such visitation, while
the large greyhound gazed with an almost
human expression of intelligence al the un-
wonted workings of his masters couute-
nance; till at last, whether 10 wcariness of
the protracted halt, or in sympathy with
feelings beyond the scope Of his instinct, he
sprang almost to the face of the rider, with
a cry between a howl and bark, aud, dart
ing down the bill, disappeared among The
shrubs which clothed its rugged sides.
Reused from his revery by the clamor of
the hound, Audeley dashed the tear-drop
from his eye, mastered the sweIings Of his
heart, and pursued his path as stately and
rs if he bnd never yielded the
government Of his soul TO the violence Of
overwhelming passion.
Another mile placed him before The en-
trance to bis paternal domain. A lowered
gate house, with large wickels of ornamcn-
tai iron work, had formerly given access to
The wide chase which surrounded the man
sion,-but now all was changed, the stain
ed glass which had adorned the narrow
easements was gone, the shattered frames
fiapped and creaked ia every blast; the
batllemcnts had been hurled to the ground,
aud part of the solid masonry had yielded
as II seemed TO violence. Ofiwo vast oaks
which bad formerly spread their gigantic
arms on either side oftbe entrance, one had
been hewn from its very roots, while the
rugged bark and splntered limbs Of tte
other seemed to have suffered from storm
more fatal than that Of the elements the
portal was ob.iructed only by slight aud
inari6cial hurdle Of saplIngs from the for
est, while the tall rank verdure had shot
aloft from every creyice Of the pavement
within, and had even partially pushed The
broad 1agstones from their nncisnt foun-
dstions within the grounds the scene was
if possible yet more dismal; the once trim
ride through snbowering plantations, now
covered with dark moss, and ovefGowed
by every riII which had long since devisted
from its choked canal. showed NO vestige Of
wheel or bors~-irnck I; the woodland un-
tbinaed, and neglected the trunks moul-
dering on the spot where they had fallen,-
the very tameness of the beasts Of chace,
which had hardly moved aside before the
horse Of the wanderer, bespoke IN audible
\ t......co a.. .tsonco of tho careful hand nf