The Portland daily press., 1884-12-08
REV. MR. DALTON's SATURDAY
LECTURE.
TassO's .Jcrusalem Delivered.


The Southeast rain storm which set in at 4
p. NJ. Saturday lessened the attendance at Mr..
Dslton's lecture but littls-so little as to be
scarcely observable.
Is the pen mightier than the sword? asked
the lecturer. From poetical descriptions Of
battles, We might say nay. But if we duly
consider the influence of great poets like
Homer, Virgil, Dante and Tasso, we shall be
convinced that it is more widespread and en-
during than the conquests Of warriors.
Read the Xvii, lxxxvii, cxxYii and cxxii
Psalms, and you discover the roots Of that deep
and sacred sentiment with which the Jews
first, and afterwards Christians, regarded the
holy city, "the city Of the great King"
Hence, also. the hope of return entertained by
the Jews. and the long pilgrimages made in
the Middle Ages by Christians, who repaired
to tbs city as the scene of Chrst's ministry,
suffsrings and death Wien oppressed by the
Turks, they appealed to their brethren, who
responded in the Crusades, which were but
continuation of the old contest between Asia
and Europe, the Orient and the Occident, the
Crescent and the Gross. The first and most i'm
portant crusade, which resulted in the capture
of Jerusalem, is the poets theme in the Epic
now before us. The time was the closing
years of the 11th century. The principal per-
sons of the drama were, on the Christian side,
Godfrey of Bouillon, Raymond of Toulouse,
Tancred, Rinaldo, DudoD, Gerando, Prince OF
Norway, Sweno of Denmark, the English Ed
ward and his wife, Gileppe; Sophronia,
OhristiSn maiden of Jerusalem, and Olindo
her lover. On the Moslem side we have
Aladine, King Of Jerusalem; Solyman, the
Sultan OF Turkey; the Caiiph of Egypt; lisa
phernes, one of his captains; Emrene, the
general of his forces; Adrastus, an Indian
king; Alethes, the Caliph's ambassador;
Argantes, their most redoabtable warrior;
Clorinda, the Camilla of the Saracens; Err
minia, princess of Antioch; and Armida,
a Damascene princess and enchantress.
The Action Of the Poems.-It begins with the
close OF the With year of the Crusade Just be-
fore the army arrives at jerusalem. Michael
the archangel is sent from heaven to appoint
Godfrey commander-in-chiefo of the Christians
The King OF Jerusalem is badly scared and
steals an image Of the Virgin, which he is
told by magician will prove palladium to
the city. The Christians recover the image
which 80 enrages the King that he dooms the
whole Christian population to destruction. To
save her people, Sophronia comes forward and
AYERS that she did the dsed. Olindo her lover
anxious to save her declares that he alone res
cued it from the Moslem. Both are doomed
to die, but are reprieved at the intercession Of
Clor1nds- The Christians now come in sight
OF Jerusalem, which they hail with shouts OF
JOY and tears of contrtion. Satan seeing what
is likely to happen calls council and commits
slons Armida, the enchantress, to beWitch the
Christian chiefs. She appears before them as
suppliant, begging their aid in recovering
her lost crown, which, as she represents had
been usurped by cruel uncle Godfrey de-
clines to depart from the straightforward
course, but tsn knights plead for permission
to join her which is granted. She allures
them TO their ruin, and turns them into fishes.
Meantime, Argantes and Clerinda perform
teats OF valor in the plain before the city. Ar
gantes challenges Tancred to duel which is
fought, but the denouement is postponed for a
week. Erminia the princess of Antioch points
out the Christian chiefs to the King, and dis
covsrs to the reader that she is deeply in love
with Tancred, who at the fall of Antioch had
treated her with scrupulous dslicacy, proving
himself "a very gentle and perfect knight"
10 learn OF his condition after the duel she
sallies forth from the city, but her horse TAX
ing fright, carries her TO the Jordan. Tancred
hearing OF this follows in pursuit.
and comes upon an enchanted castle
into which he is inyeigled, Bat,
Rinaldo is the Achilles of the Christian
camp. Insulted by Gsrando, he slays that
chief IN his anger, and to avoid arrest, flies
from the field of battle. Armida is at hand to
bewitch him with her charms, and he follows
her to the isles beyond the pillars of Hercules,
where he is detained By her as ULYSSES was bv
the nymph Calypso. Meanwhile, Argantes
and Clorinda sally forth by night to destroy
the engines OF the Christians 10 which thev
succeed, but Clorinda is intercepted on her re-
turn bY Tancred who has escaped from the
enchanted castle just In time to encounter and
slay Clorinda, and is Mortified when he discoy-
ers who she is. A great drought DESTROYS the
Chrl6tlanss means OF subsistence and much
life. lsmeno, sorceror, fills with enchant-
ments the forest to which the Christians resort
Tor trees TO restore their lost engines. Now all
things are at stand still, and nothing can be
done till Rinaldo is recalled. His arnor hav-
ing been found, he was reported dead and
Godfrey was even accused of the deed. But a
sage reveals the place Of his concsalment, and
celestial guide conveys a ship to the island,
which returns with the chief repenting his de-
sertlon. Receiving celestial armor emblsz-
oned with the history Of the house Of Este,-
the poets patron, he resorts 20 the forest and
foiis the great magician. Now the work goes
hTavely on. New engines are constructed and
brought up to the walls which are successfully
essailed and the city is captured. Jerusalem
oenvered, the Christians are attacked by an ar
my from Egypt, which is vanqushed, and
then Godfrey celebrates his great victory, the
conclusion OF the poem.
The imitation of Homer in this poem Is
even more apparent than in the Kaeid
thus Klnaldo is the Christian Achilles, the
1aIklsn dI king is Pnam; Argantes, Hector,
Camilla; Raymond is Ulysses, Peter the
Hermit. Nestor; Godfrey, Agamemnon:
Armids, Helen and the nymph Calypso in
one. A quarrel banishes Rinaldo from the
camp, the forces on both sides are catalogued
and described after the manner OF Homer the
chieftains are pointed out from the walls, su-
pernatuial powers aid the combatants on
each side, dues and battles are decided by
heavenly powers. Rinaldo on his return
receives celestial srmor and victory is Sc
cured happily the same magnauimity is
shown In the description of the heroes and
hsroines OF both armies. There is more regard
shown to the memory OF the dead, and woman
appears in a new role and receives that chiv-
alrlc attention and devotion OF which the an
cients we're ignorant. TIE Christian cause in
spires US with desire for the success which it
deserved, for its failure would have meant the
invasion OF Europe, more especially OF Italy,
France and Germany, by such hordes as have
made Mohammedan countries what they are
TO-DAY. The Christian cause, after all, was the
cause OF Europe and European civilization as
well as Of Christianity.
The AHegofy.-No less interesting is the alle-
gofical Interpretation Of the poem From this
point OF view, Jerusalem stands for the citv OF
God above, Jerusalem" which is the
Motner MOI. OF US all, the city which hath founda-
tlons. Godfrey and the other chiefs represent
the Christian leaders, and the army the Chris
tan hosts who fight not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities and powers
ana spiritual wlckedness in high places. This
requires that they should be clothed with CO.
lestial armor aud be animated by the highest
motives. But in fact, they are often without
discipline, without fixed purpose, are allured
BY the entertainments of the world, and weak
ened BY Thousand follies, all of which they
must forsake before they can enter the city Of
God most OF all their personal rivalries and
lesiousies leading to divisions which ensure
defeat.
Athens, Rome aud Jerusalem, the three
great cities OF the world, have been ottsn re-
ferTed to in these lectures. Athens, the eye OF
Greece, the mother OF art, architecture, liter
ature and philosophy. Rome, that was
called eternal" conquered and governed the
world and bequeathed to us the great priuci-
pies OF civil law. But higher than human
law wss needed, law which was not one NJ
Athens and another at Rome, but one law al
ways and everywhere, issuing from Jerusalem
aud extending to the ends of the earth Je-
rusalem is inaeed the symbol of our highest
grimage.
Jerusalem the goldeni